My Life with the Walking Dead (Season 1)
by Daniel Nilrem
Summary: Daniel Moore is broken due to the loss of his family. Daniel fufills his sister's final wish; to make sure her patient comes out of his coma alive. When he does , he changes Daniel's perspective on the world around him. Can he restore Daniel's hope? Can Daniel survive the undead? Time will tell. DON'T OWN WALKING DEAD. oc's POV. T for gore and violenece. No oc pairing.
1. Chapter 1: The Day I was born,

**Chapter 1: The Day I was Born, was the Day I Died**

"Why are we stopping?" I asked Rick as he stopped the police car in the middle of the empty highway. To our left there was an over-turned truck, no owner or body could be seen near the truck.

"I saw a gas station sign a mile back. We're running low on fuel, so let's hope we can find some there." Rick said as he checked his revolver on ammo and got out of the police car.

"I doubt it. Probably all gone anyway." I muttered, knowing Rick gets annoyed when I say my anti-hope comments out loud. I took my pistol out and got out of the police car as well. I kept my gun in both of my hands, not taking any chances. I didn't take my double-edged lance along with me. How I got such a weapon will be explained later.

Rick opened the trunk of the car and took out the gasoline canister. We both then walked on ahead to the gas station, walking past abandoned cars and tractors. We walked underneath the petrol sign, noticing that some of the abandoned cars had abandoned camp-sites next to them. Rick checks one of the cars, only to find a dead woman in the driver's seat.

You could tell that they were dead because flies don't go near walkers.

Moving forward, Rick looked up and his face dropped with disappointment. I follow his gaze and see that there is a massive sign with the words spray-painted, 'NO GAS'.

"I told you." I thought, not wanting to start an argument when we were out in the open.

As though he was a mind-reading, Rick turns around, not looking at me, "Don't say it."

Before I could follow him, I heard a rustling sound behind me. Me and Rick both turned around slowly, Rick taking his sheriff's hat off and placing on the ground. He then crouched down on the floor, looking underneath the car in front of us.

Rick sees something; I only hear more rustling. I crouch down so that whatever it is can't see me, "What do you see?" I whispered, readying my gun incase it was a walker. Rick jumps up and looks over the car, not answering my question.

I got up as well to see a little girl in a dirty robe, holding a dirty teddy bear in her left hand, walking away from us slowly. "Little girl?" Rick calls out, "I'm a police officer." The little girl doesn't turn around, "Little girl?"

The little girl stops, but doesn't turn around. "Don't be afraid." Rick moves forward, holding his hand out, "Little girl?"

I move behind Rick, my pistol still aiming at the ground. The little girl turns around to face us, revealing her gown and pyjamas covered in blood; her right-cheek was missing, revealing her yellow teeth. Her eyes were a faded yellow-ish colour.

She was a walker.

Rick doesn't move, too shocked to do anything. I don't blame him, this being my first-time seeing a child-walker as well. As soon as the little walker starts moving forward, growling, I raised my pistol, aimed at its head and pulled the trigger.

BANG

The little walker was pulled back by the force of the gunshot to the head, landing on it's back, the teddy bear rolling out of its hand. Rick doesn't say anything, but his eyes show a lot of sadness. He still sees the walker as the little girl it used to be; I don't.

It was just a walker and nothing more.

My name is Daniel Moore. I am fifteen years old and I am trying to survivor the walking dead.

This is my story.

* * *

**Two months ago...**

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear, Danny." My sister, Ashley 'Lee' Moore, called me by my annoying nickname. I have nothing against the name Danny, I just didn't like it because she would call me Danny when she teased me. "Happy birthday to you." The day it all started, April 14th, I just turned fifteen.

Lee laid the chocolate muffin with one lit-candle in front of me, on the kitchen table. That may not sound like much to you, but to me that was my birthday cake. Yes, we were poor, but only because it was me and my sister in a one bedroom apartment. My sister is a doctor, but she is still paying off her student loans and medical school is pricey.

But it never bothered me, "Thanks, Lee." I made a wish in my head, my wish being that Lee didn't have to go to her hospital that day. She had a coma patient today and for some reason, she spend hours doing God knows what. It had been a month now since the guy got shot, but that was the Moore code.

Never give up hope.

But the universe was not that kind, because I heard Lee's pager going off. Lee looked down at the floor before she looked back at me. "I so sorry."

I shook my head, "It is fine. Don't worry about it." I tried to hide the disappointment because I didn't want my sister to feel guilty, but my sister could tell I was because I looked down at my muffin.

"I want nothing more than for you to skip school today and me skip work so we can go anyway, you know that right?" Lee tried to regain my eye contact.

I looked back into her blue eyes, same colour as mine. My sister worked day and night to provide for the both of us. My dad died in a shoot-out, he wasn't even a cop, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My mum died giving birth to me, sending Lee and me to an orphanage. But when she was old enough and had enough money, she took me out and we lived in the same apartment for the rest of our lives in King County, Georgia.

Lee had no friends, unless you counted Joe Stevenson, our neighbour. He helped us out when we were low on money for the rent. I knew he did it because he was in love with Lee. He asked her to dinner, but Lee never got the message.

Speaking of friends I had none either. The high school I went practically wanted nothing to do with me. Most of the students and teachers would want nothing to do with me, so they didn't interact with me. That was because I was known as the poor kid. If I get unlucky, the jocks would notice me and dump me into a bin, saying I should feel right at home in a dump since I live in one.

It never got to me or ever made me want to cry, which is why I think the bullying reduced on times it happened.

I never cried, only when I was born as a baby.

"Just promise me you will be back before I come back from school." I stick my right hand out, as though we were making a deal. Sarah took my right hand in hers and shook our hands.

"I promise, little man. Now come on, you're gonna be late for school." She ushered me off to the bathroom to get ready, tying her bright brown hair into a ponytail, a ritual she does when she goes off to work.

After having my shower and brushing my teeth, I looked in the mirror and brushed my oak-brown, medium-length hair. I got changed into my cheap clothes: A red & blue checked-shirt with a white t-shirt underneath, blue jeans and grey converse. My clothes are the ones that look like a charity donated them to me, but this are just regular clothes you would find at a thrift shop.

That was the reason the jocks at my high school would call me, 'Rag-boy'. Again, I didn't give two shits what they said. But I would be lying if I said I didn't mind being called a boy. I know I am small for my age, but I was more mature than the ass-wipes you would find in my school.

* * *

I waited outside the apartment building for the school bus to pick me up, not that I wouldn't mind if it just drove past me. I saw the tint of yellow driving towards me, which meant I had to sit and ignore my fellow childish classmates.

I saw myself more mature than anyone else in my high school. When I was ten, everyone would watch whatever was on the Disney channel. I would be watching 'Law and Order' or 'N.C.I.S'. I got on the bus, hoping no jocks would be on it today.

I guess the universe allowed me to have one blessing, since the bus was only half-full. "Strange," I thought, "Usually I would struggle to find a seat on the bus."

I sit down near the front, only seeing people in my grade on the bus. No one was talking, probably because they friends weren't on the bus to talk to.

I just hoped that the jocks weren't in school either.

* * *

More than half of the school were not in school at all. Now that was weird. Me, two boys and five girls were in Biology class. It was like this with my morning classes, P.E and History, as well. In fact both my teachers for those lessons, Miss Megan and Miss Trisha, weren't in at all. It didn't matter though, I loved two things: fewer people and Biology.

Must have been a family thing, but like Lee, I wanted to become a doctor. My sister trained me in basic first-aid, before letting me practice anything big. Joe let me help out at his vet clinic. He let me practice stitching and small surgery on household pets. Again, this was under the agreement that I would put the good word for Joe to Lee.

Halfway through the lesson, the head teacher, Mr. DeFranco, came into the classroom.

"Sorry to interrupt your lesson, Mr Morgan, but I'm afraid the students need to be send home due to a virus going around so we don't want to spread."

My classmates cheered when they heard this news; I did not. I loved Biology and today was the day I could show off my impressive skills with a scalpel. But that day was just full of unlucky events, which I would learn further on the day.

* * *

I decided to walk home, listening to my cracked-screen iPod. I was listening to Journey, the band that became less cool when Glee started doing covers of their timeless classics, when I saw three ambulances drive past me; their sirens drowning my 'Don't Stop Believin'.

"Must have been a car crash." I brushed off, not knowing what those ambulances were actually being used for.

* * *

I unlocked my door to my apartment, getting dirty looks from my uptight, bitchy neighbour, Mrs Viola, who was entering her apartment as well. You know you have that bitchy neighbour with the annoying household pet, that was Miss Viola with her cat, Amanda. I knew she was thinking that I ditched high school. She thought she was better than anyone else because she used to be a Broadway star; or so she said.

"Something to say, Miss Viola?" I asked in a polite tone. I didn't usually interact with the bitch but that day I just felt like, 'why the fuck not?'.

Miss Viola rubbed her head when I spoke, like my voice was causing her pain, "Shut up. My head hurts and I don't need some punk kid giving me lip."

I smirked, not caring whether Miss Viola had a headache or not, "Miss Viola, trust me when I say that I couldn't give a fuck if you have a headache!" I shouted the last part of my sentence, causing Miss Viola to rub her head even more.

Pleased that for once in my life, I managed to shut the bitch up, I got inside and closed the door behind me. I had no idea what to do for the rest of the day. But then I realised that reruns of Law & Order were on that day. Pleased, I turned on the TV and watched my cable channels.

By the time I would have been home on regular school-days, Lee was still not home. I huff my disappointment, but remembered that the virus that was going around town was most likely causing my sister to be late. To this day, I can't remember when I fell asleep.

* * *

THUMP

I woke up startled when I heard a loud sound coming from outside my apartment. I listened out for it again, checking the time as well.

10:00pm

I instantly knew something wasn't right. Lee should have been back by eight o'clock, maximum. The coma-patient wouldn't have needed her for that long, even if she had to lend a hand to some of the ill-patients with the virus.

CRASH

I jump when I hear the sound of glass-breaking, which came from the wall in front of me, which on the other side belonged to Miss Viola. I grabbed the house phone and dialled for 911, but the line was dead. "Fucking landlord. We paid for the phone bill." And by we I meant Joe.

I decided to do the most stupid thing I could think of, which was to grab the metal baseball bat we used in case someone invaded our apartment and see if Miss Viola was okay, even if the old hag wouldn't thank me for checking up on her.

I opened the apartment door which led out to the hallway. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, only that Miss Viola's door was open. I entered slowly, baseball bat raised by my head. The place was a mess; scratch marks on the wall, furniture broken and I could hear a low growling sound coming from the kitchen.

I walked in the living room slowly, which is the only way you can get into the kitchen. I saw that the T.V broken, couches torn apart and the glass table was smashed. I turn to my left into the kitchen, and by the far corner, I saw the unthinkable.

Miss Viola was eating her precious cat, Amanda. Tearing the cat apart with her teeth. I had one thought in my head; run. But as I stepped back, I stepped on broken glass, which gained Miss Viola's attention. Miss Viola turned her head slowly, revealing her face which was covered in cuts. We stared at each other for five seconds, before Miss Viola got up, slowly.

That's when I ran, heading straight for the apartment door. I reached the door, but Joe was blocking my exit, shotgun in hand, shouting "Get down!"

I dropped to the floor, looking back to see Miss Viola with her arms stretched out, her jaw open, leaking with her dead cat's blood.

BANG

The top of Miss Viola's head exploded, her body falling flat on the floor. I crawled as far away from the dead body as I could, my back placed firmly on the wall by the door. Joe kneeled down beside me, "Daniel, are you okay?"

When I spoke, I didn't answer Joe's question, instead I just muttered "You killed her." My eyes still frozen on the headless corpse.

"Daniel, listen to me,"

"I argued with her earlier today." I muttered, my body shook slightly.

"Daniel, listen. Something is happening to people around here. They becoming more violent; some who should be dead are not staying dead." My eyes slowly moved to Joe's face, trying to find the sick joke in all of this, but Joe's face was filled with fear and seriousness. "We need to get out of here, do you understand?"

I nodded my head, "Yes."

"Okay, where's Lee?" As soon as Joe mentioned her name, fear exploded in my body.

"She- She's still at the hospital." I stuttered.

"Okay, I need to get my car keys from my apartment. You go to your window in your apartment by the fire escape. Wait for me there." Joe helped me off the ground and out of the blood-stained apartment.

I let Joe get his things, whilst I tried to find out more on what was going on using the TV. I turned over to the news channel which had the headlines, 'BREAKING NEWS!'.

"Everyone must leave their homes immediately due to some citizens violently attacking others. The government still have not released any information on whether this is a chemical-weapon being used by terrorists or if this is the result to a new kind of infection. The government has told everyone to evacuate to Atlanta, where there is a safe-zone. Hospitals have been,"

The TV screen turned into nothing by white and black pixels. "Hospitals have been what?" I pressed every button on the remote to try and get the news channel back up, "Hospitals have been what?" I shouted.

Joe came running in shotgun in hand with keys in the other, "What's happened?"

"The news channel said something about hospitals but it cut off." I threw the remote onto the floor, frustrated.

"Listen, we don't have much time. We need to go down the fire escape and head straight for my car, got it?" I nodded, grabbing my baseball bat. Joe had a shotgun, I had no gun whatsoever, so I needed the protection.

Joe opened the window and climbed out, I followed behind. Joe moves down the fire escape, me right on his tail, until we got to the ladder. Joe went down the ladder first, then me and we both run down the alley.

Before we get to Joe's car, we see someone limping towards us. It was only the growling that alerted us that they were infected, since it was so dark. Joe shot the infected man.

BANG

The gunshot echoed through the alleyway; the infected man fell backwards. More growling could be heard from behind us, but we didn't look back. Joe and me ran to the gun, the growling getting closer was the fuel that kept us running. Once we got to the car, we locked the doors, I put my seatbelt on and Joe started the engine.

As soon as we got moving, one of the infected smashed the window next to me, but it didn't touch me. "Shit!" I yelled, covering me head to prevent any of the broken glass to cut me.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked, eyes still on the road, "Did it touch you?"

"No, I'm fine." I said as I removed the glass shards from my lap.

"You need to tell me if it touched you." Joe's voice got slightly aggressive.

"I'm fucking clean, okay?" I shouted, pissed off with the pestering.

Joe let out a huff, eyes still focused on the road. "I sorry. I'm just confused and- Holy shit!"

I look up to see something you would find in a horror-movie. People running away from the infected, some of the infected to busy feeding and a house was on fire. "Oh my God, this can't be real." I whispered, the air in my lungs suddenly gone.

The infected took notice of us and started walking towards us, "Drive!" I shouted, the air miraculously back in my lungs.

Joe changed gear and drove straight forward, not caring what he ran over. The car's front window was close to cracking due to all the bodies that Joe kept hitting. The road felt bumpy as well, I knew it being more bodies that didn't go over the car.

I didn't realise that I closed my eyes, so when I open them, I see the front window covered in blood. Joe turned the screen wipers on, but it only smeared the blood so we couldn't see much through the crimson red.

Joe pulled the car over, "Why are you stopping?" I asked, shuffling away from my smashed window, where I was exposed.

Joe comes back into view and grabs his shotgun, "The hospital is just ahead of us, we have to walk from here."

I undid my seatbelt, grabbed my baseball bat and got out the car. I looked around to see that there weren't any infected to be found. I turned back to Joe, "How far?"

"Just round the corner, come on." Joe replied, shotgun in hand. I let Joe go in front as we ran ahead.

"Please be okay, please be okay." I thought over and over in my head. That was what I wanted more than anything at that moment, for Lee to be hiding in a closet or barricaded with other doctors, nurses or patients. I didn't care about anything else other than Lee.

We got to the corner to find the hospital and army trucks parked by the entrance. There weren't any soldiers so we managed to get in without any problems.

Inside the building, the place looked deserted. No nurses or doctors or anybody. Joe runs up to the map, looking at it, "Where does Lee usually work?"

I run up to the map, looking for the floor where the cafeteria was found. I managed to find and point at it, "There, third floor. Where the cafeteria is."

Joe heads for the stairs, but when I turned around, I was face to face with an infected nurse.

BANG

The nurse's body dropped to her left, a massive hole on both sides of her head. I can't think why I didn't have any blood on me then either, as if I was shielded by some mysterious force. Never was a big believer in God or anything like that, but sometimes I would believe he was there.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked, shaking me to wake me from my trance.

"Yeah, just that's the second time you've saved my ass." I breathed, trying to lessen the tension.

Joe gave a small smile, "Tell Lee that."

Her name brought the seriousness back to me and Joe, making us both run to the stairs sprinting the steps to the third floor.

Joe put his hand up to stop me, before putting a finger to his lips. I nodded, getting the hint that more of those things could be still loose in the hospital. Joe opens the door to the third floor slowly.

Joe lead in first with the shotgun in both of his hands, me with a baseball in mine. The first thing we both notice was the smell, dead bodies everywhere. But the scary thing was that most of them you could tell died normal, not as one of the infected.

We looked ahead to see the doors to the cafeteria were padlocked shut, a wooden plank wedged through the handles. the door was being rapidly slammed into, hands emerging through the small gap.

Joe signalled me to follow him slowly. We moved slowly, the hallway empty of life or sound, but a mist was in the air making it harder to see. Joe points to the doors in each room, which I translated into that I should check each room for Lee. Joe took the rooms on the left-hand side whilst I took the ones the right-hand side.

* * *

After checking the seventh empty room, I came out into the hallway, meeting Joe coming out of his seventh room. "Did you find her yet?" I asked.

Joe shook his head, "Nothing."

"Keep looking." I ordered, heading to the next room which was a supply closet.

"Daniel, she may not be here." Joe said, trying to put a hand on my shoulder.

I move my shoulder out of his reach, "I don't care, we're checking every room in this God damn building until we find,"

I stopped talking when I heard footsteps and gunshots ahead of me. I looked up, but couldn't see anything clearly. Joe pushed me towards the supply closet, "Get inside and don't come out unless I say so."

"Wait, what about you?" I asked, as I quickly entered the closet.

"No time, just stay quiet." Joe closed the closet down, leaving me in darkness. I heard the footsteps get closer, but no more gunshots.

I moved quietly to the closet door, noticing it didn't close properly, so I could see Joe. He aimed his shotgun at the mist, but was blinded with a bright light. "Put your weapon down and put your hands on head!"

That was a human sound, someone else was here. The bright light was switched off and it revealed three soldiers with gas masks on, rifles in hand. Joe dropped his shotgun down and placed his hands on the top of his head. "Please, I'm looking for my friend." Joe begged.

"Is it just you here?" I didn't like that question, just the way the solider asked it. I wanted to jump out and get Joe out of there, having a bad feeling for where this was going.

Joe didn't respond immediately, like he was thinking it over, "Is he waiting for me to come out?" I thought.

I was about to walk on out until I heard Joe say, "Yes."

BANG, BANG, BANG

I cover my mouth to muffle my gasp, my eyes wide open. Joe's body shook from the impact of the bullets, before falling onto his back. I just stared at his body, he wasn't moving.

I hear the sound of the someone talking over a walkie-talkie, one of the soldiers answered it. I didn't pay attention to what they were saying, my eyes and thoughts still on Joe's lifeless body. "This can't be real." My mind stated, "This has to be some sick, twisted joke. No this is a dream. I'm still lying asleep on the couch, waiting for Lee to come home. I can tell her about this fucked up nightmare I had and go on with my normal day life."

As my mind tried to deny this hell of a world, my body was still shaking, grieving for someone who my mind was deny dead. My ears started to finally pick up the soldiers' conversation, "We're moving out. Don't take anything out from here. Move his body to where the others are, so it looks like he was infected."

I backed away from the closet door as I heard the solider's take Joe's body away. I wanted nothing more than to go out, grab Joe's shotgun and shoot the murdering bastards. But then I remembered Joe's sacrifice; how he lied saying he was alone, so the soldiers wouldn't find me.

I waited until I couldn't hear their footsteps, before stepping outside of the supply closet. I look to where Joe was the last time I looked through the gap. Joe's blood was smeared on the floor. I bent over, throwing up, adding my vomit to the mess.

I felt sick, angry and betrayed. How could our own army, the people who joined it so we could be safe from any threat, slaughter us like we were animals? They knew Joe wasn't infected, so they killed for no good fucking reason.

After emptying my stomach onto the floor, I remembered that I came here to find Lee, not going to accept anything until I find her. Not one part of my brain thought of the alternative. I took Joe's shotgun and put my arm through the strap, settling the gun on my back, baseball bat firmly gripped in both of my hands. I move slowly to check the other room's.

* * *

After checking the ninth room on my right-hand side, I moved to the left-hand side of the hallway to the next room, which had a hospital bed blocking, "Lee?" I whispered, but received no response.

I moved the hospital bed out-of-the-way and opened the door, shocked to find what was inside. A man in coma, more specifically, my sister's coma patient. I moved closer to the patient, before grabbing his wrist. He had a pulse, he was still alive, even without a respirator to help him breathe. I looked to see if he had any bite marks of scratches.

After confirming his was clean, I moved out of the room, closing the door and moving the hospital bed back where it was. "The guy may get killed one day, but at least this gives him a slight chance." I thought.

I turned back to the hallway when I saw her. Lee, with her ponytail facing me, she was limping, "Lee, thank God! We need to get out of here." I walked closer, wanting to hug her, so that I can finally feel safe with the person who raised. But Lee didn't turn around, which made me stop.

"Lee?" I called her name out, gaining her attention. Lee turned slowly, before facing me.

That was the first time I could remember crying.

Lee's eyes were a pale yellow, her skin looked tight against her body. She was wearing her blue scrubs, stained with blood leaking from her left shoulder, which was missing flesh.

"Oh dear God no." I placed my hands to my mouth, afraid if I make any more noise then it would somehow make the situation worse.

Lee started moving closer to me, snarling, with her arms stretched out trying to grab a hold of me. I stepped back, moving away from her, "Lee, it's me, Daniel." I begged, tears rolling down my eyes.

Lee only snarled whilst moving slightly faster towards me. I turned around and headed back to the staircase, where I could escape and try to wake up from this horror-induced dream.

I hear Lee chasing me, the snarling getting louder. I turned round the corner and tripped, landing on my front, dropping the baseball bat by my side. I rolled onto my back quickly, seeing Lee just coming round from the corner.

I grabbed the shotgun from my back at aimed it at Lee, "Lee, don't come any closer." I warned, hoping she would recognise the threat.

She didn't. Instead, she kept walking towards me, "Lee, please stop." I begged, hoping that my sister would still be inside and fight whatever it was that it was making her this way.

"LEE, PLEASE!" I shouted, but Lee just snarled louder.

BANG

Lee was thrown back by the impact of the shotgun blast, tearing her chest to pieces. I looked in horror as Lee's body laid there, motionless.

I killed her. I don't care whether she died from the virus and came back to life. I still killed her.

My sister.

My best friend.

My only family.

My hope.

I killed her.

I get up slowly, tear drops dropping from my chin. I grabbed my baseball bat and I walked towards my sister's dead body. I looked at her face, trying so hard to ignore the crater in her chest. Her eyes looked so peaceful, her mouth still open. I turned around, not wanting to look at my dead sister any longer.

But then she snarled. I turned back to see Lee trying to move, but her body wouldn't bulge due to the damage the bullet did to her spine. I didn't even stutter, which makes me feel disgusted with myself every time I think about it, as I slam the butt of the baseball bat into Lee's skull. A horrible crunch echoed in the hallway, but I didn't stop. I didn't stop impaling the baseball bat into my sister's head until I fell to her side. Crying uncontrollable.

I don't know when I passed out, my white shirt now crimson with my sister's blood and my cheeks wet with her blood or my tears washing it away, but I didn't care. I hoped that I was just about to wake up in a sweaty mess from the unbelievable nightmare I had, where I could cry on my sister's shoulder because I dreamt that I smashed her skull in out of the fact she was trying to eat me.

April 14th, my birthday and the day I died inside.

* * *

**Chapter 1 up! Wanting to do this for so long.**

**Only just got into The Walking Dead (I know late bloomer) and every episode makes me feel like I'm in that world, trying to survive the world full of the undead. So I wrote this story where I'm actually am.**

**If you have any worries on how my character may affect the storyline, message me and I will answer you questions.**

**Daniel Moore is the only OC that will be in the later chapters.**

**Other than that, send me your reviews on whether you like this story or if you like my OC. Also, if you have any suggestions, don't be afraid to put that down in your reviews as well.**

**Keep on reading,**

**Daniel Nilrem**


	2. Chapter 2: Let's be Alone Together

**Chapter 2: Let's be Alone Together**

**One week in...**

I woke up, expecting the first thing I would see was the TV still on or the TV was switched off because Lee came home and turned it off for me. Instead, I woke up next to my sister's corpse, her blood close to the tip of my nose.

I sat up slowly, taking in everything that has happened. I looked down at Lee's body. A massive crater was found in her chest where I shot her; her face was smashed and disfigured where I had finished the job. I that's when it hit me, like I was the one who got shot.

I killed my sister.

More tears emerged from my eyes, my body shook violently and I backed my self against the nearest wall for support.

I grabbed the bed covers from the hospital beds, so I could wrap my sister's body in with it. I then used a pillowcase the cover her face, making it easier for me to move her body.

The worst part of it all was dragging her down the stairs, each step I walked down, the more damage I was doing to Lee's body. Once we got outside, I found a little field for me to bury Lee.

A problem was that I didn't have anything with me to dig a grave, so I used my hands. I know what you're probably thinking right now, "That must have hurt like hell." But your wrong, because nothing could be more painful than the feeling in my chest when I finally accepted that this was reality and my sister was dead.

After I dug the grave and buried my sister, I just stared at the grave, ignoring my bleeding, blistering hands. I don't know where I could go, what I should do. But then the pain in my chest returned and I knew what I had to get and what I had to do.

I made my way back to the hospital and back to the third floor, hoping that it was still there, right I left it. It was; the shotgun.

I took the shotgun in my hands, slowly positioning it so the shotgun was below my chin. I didn't hesitate, I knew what I wanted and that was to be reunited with my sister.

CLICK

But I never had the best luck, did I? I threw the shotgun at the floor and fell back on my ass, sopping again. "My one chance to be with Lee and it isn't even there." I thought, burying my face into my knees.

* * *

The next day, I woke up from the hospital floor again. I decided to look around, seeing if a soldier left a gun or anything else that I could use to end my existence in this hell hole. I walked into numerous rooms, the same rooms I checked to find my sister.

After several failed attempts, I finally came to a familiar room, his room. I moved the hospital bed out-of-the-way and opened the door. There he was, the coma patient, looking so peaceful in his never-ending sleep. The envy I had was only with me for a second, I wanted to be in his place for a split second, so I wouldn't of had to kill my own sister.

I look around the room, again. I found nothing that could help me end my life, but what I did notice was a piece of paper on the bedside cabinet next to the patient. I picked it up, noticing the bottom-right corner stained with blood. I was shocked, not expecting it to be a letter, addressed to me.

_Dear Daniel,_

_If you are reading this, then it means that I am dead. I am so sorry for leaving you alone. I don't even though if you will find or get this letter, but I know you and knowing you, you would be my knight in shining armour coming to save me._

_But I cannot be saved. Earlier, this afternoon, a patient of mine died from heart failure, or so I thought. When I checked his pulse, he suddenly came back to life and bit me on the shoulder. The other doctors managed to get him off, but the damage was done._

_I watched the news, telling everyone to get out and head to Atlanta. They explained a virus was making everyone go crazy, but I knew what it meant. I was going to turn into one of those things. I hope someone kills me before then, but if they don't, then I hope you never see me like that. _

_Tell Joe that I did notice his feelings for me and I would have loved to have tried something with him, but back then, you were my main importance in life, so I couldn't get sidetracked._

_I know this may all be hard for you, that you may be thinking of ending it all, but don't. Please, don't end your life, you selfish son-of-a-bitch. I did not raise you up so you can go and be all suicidal._

_Please, don't do anything so stupid._

_Before I end this letter to you, I need you to do me one last favour. The coma patient, Rick Grimes; I want you to look after him until he gets out of that coma. I know it may take some time, but you know our motto._

_Never give up hope._

_With you always, Love,_

_Lee._

By the end of that letter, it wasn't just blood that stained the letter, so did my tears. I looked at the Rick, thinking to myself, "Lee, I can only fulfill your wish, because my hope died along with you."

* * *

**Two weeks in..**.

After my hands healed with no scars and I realised that I can't protect myself just with a baseball bat, I headed out towards the town, hoping to find a weapon, or at least a gun. Intense was an understatement, the place was full of walkers.

Walkers was what I heard over the radio, a random guy, calling out for survivors. The radio getting cutting off however, so I didn't hear the full message.

I ventured out at mornings, the walkers moved more at night. I wandered around the shops, when I was pleased to find a military shop. It was luck though that I found it, I was using a map that showed all the shops in King County.

Entering through the door-less entrance, I noticed that the shop was practically empty. Shelves deserted of any ammo or guns, no machetes or any melee weapons to be found. Nothing. I groaned in frustration, not with the fact that the shop was empty but how stupid I was to think that during an undead apocalypse, the gun store wouldn't be empty.

I still looked around, however, too stubborn to accept it to be completely empty. I looked at all the shelves, doubling checking there was nothing I missed. Nope; I was right the first time; the shelves were completely empty. I checked behind the counter, looking through the draws, but no ammo or guns.

I saw that there was a door, which I knew must of led to the storage room. I opened the door, only for a walker to jump out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground. I fell on my back, the baseball bat dropping to my right hand side and grabbed the walker's wrist, preventing them from getting close.

"Get the fuck off me!" The walker tried to bite me, its face getting closer with each attempt. I pull me legs in, placing my feet on its chest before pushing it off me. I got up, grabbed the baseball bat and smashed the walker's head, not stopping until I created a bloody hole. When I stopped, I noticed the strangest thing.

I didn't care that I killed this thing.

But that's just it, this things are nothing to me. Just monsters who do nothing but kill for the sake of killing. So why the fuck should I care that I killed one of them?

I look at the body to see that before the guy turned, he used to work he, telling by the fact he was wearing a name tag. I searched his body for anything, find a handgun, but no bullets.

I took the handgun, hoping to find bullets in the storage room. I walked into the storage room, but from first-looks, I could only see one body with a bullet hole in his head. I look around, piling up empty bullet boxes.

"I know that it is the apocalypse and everything, but did they need to take every single god damn gun and ammo?" I thought, throwing the final empty bullet box onto the floor. I looked around, seeing nothing but the empty bullet boxes and a dead guy next to a wall. I fell back onto a wall, sliding down in defeat. "How can I protect Rick if I don't have a freaking gun?"

When my butt landed on the floor, I heard a creak. I tapped my knuckle on the floor below, hearing a hollow noise. I got up, seeing a wooden door. I mentally face palmed myself for not seeing it in the first place. I looked at the wooden door, noticing it was padlocked.

"Maybe they kept guns and ammo?" I thought, turning my attention do the dead guy opposite me. I searched his body, finding the keys in his jacket pocket. After two failed key attempts, the third one turned out to be the one to the padlock.

I opened the wooden door and walked down the stairs, missing one of them because it was so dark. I feel something dangling above my head and I grabbed it, pulling it down. To my luck that the electricity was still on in this place, because the lights came on, revealing random junk.

"Bad news, no guns." I thought, but I looked around for anything of use. Box after box revealed nothing but comic books and nerdy crap. I had a little part of me that wanted to read some of them, but at the same time I realised that I would be just wasting time. I get to the corner where I find one box tugged into the corner, a note on top. I read the note.

_Ross,_

_If you found this, then you birthday surprise is ruined. I got this for you because you saw the movie and wanted your very own one as well. Just be careful, the blades are razor-sharp so don't put it anyway where people can find it._

_Happy Birthday, Tony_

I felt bad for the pair above me, not for killing one of them, but the fact that they can never experience the joys of reading a comic or collecting action figures. But I didn't feel so bad after what I found in the long box.

"Holy shit." I muttered, taking out the weapon out from the box. I analysed the weapon. It was a black lance with two medium-sized blades on each end. A small, but firm thread is attached at the bottom of each blade so you could put your arm through and carry it on your back. I looked at the centre of the lance to find a small button. I pressed it, which separated the lance into two pieces, so you had two handles and a blade on top.

I knew what movie Tony was talking about; it had the ninja girl with purple hair. The name of that movie was lost in my head at the time. Breaking out of the trance the awesome weapon had me in, I looked at my wrist watch,

19:38 PM

"Shit." I whispered. I shouldn't have wasted so much time at the store. It got dark around then and more walkers show up at night.

After I padlocked the basement door shut and leaving the store, I raced back my apartment, the cool double-edged bladed spear strapped to my back. I left the handgun, not seeing the point of carrying an empty gun around. I used the alleyway by my apartment and get in through my window, since I barricaded the front door so walkers wouldn't get in.

But tonight, there was one walker in the alleyway and it saw me, snarling and making chomping motions at me. I took my arm out of the thread so I held the lance in both hands. The walker staggered towards me, ignoring the weapon in my hand. But then again, walkers can't tell the difference between much. Just the dead from the living. I swiped my spear, the blade cutting through the walker's head easily, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Good news, I have a kick-ass weapon." That thought reminded me of the name of the movie.

* * *

**Three weeks in...**

I decided to pack what I need in a backpack and leave my apartment, stay at the hospital to save the trip and keep an eye on Rick. I couldn't take it anymore, sleeping in my bedroom and just stare at the empty bed beside me. Every now and then, I would shed a tear for Lee, but only one, most of my tears used up when I had to kill Lee to save myself.

I packed an extra set of clothes, my toothbrush and a picture of Lee. I carry that picture to remind myself who I'm living for, not just for myself, but for Lee as well. I don't believe in Heaven or God, being in this world being my main reason. But if it is real, then Lee I like to think is protecting me, one way or another.

Not knowing the technical name for my weapon, I decided to just call it a lance, to save time and brain power. Having the lance with me was the best thing to happen to me so far at that point; walkers never got close to me when I had my lance on me. One time, I went out to get some food, three walkers surrounded me. But with me lance, they didn't know what hit them.

After filling my backpack with everything I needed, I took one final look at my home. No, this apartment wasn't my home any more. It was just a set of rooms you would find in any other building. I part of me wanted to burn it all, so that way I can't come back when I get desperate. But I didn't, because the tiniest part inside of me wanted this to be nothing but a dream, that part of me still refusing to accept this world full of monsters as my reality.

I left that apartment and have never stepped foot in it since.

That day was an easy walk to the hospital, I used the park as a short-cut to avoid walkers; not like many were out around those days. But there was one, well actually, half. It used to be a woman, judging by the long strands of hair dispatched over its scalp. When it took notice of me, it stretched out it's arm, trying to grab me.

I knelt down beside it, observing how it tried to move, "Pathetic, your existence is just pathetic." I thought, before getting up, took my lance out, separating it, before delivering the killer blow. It didn't flinch or struggle, showing I struck right through it brain.

I reattached the two blades together, before making my way to Rick.

* * *

**Four weeks in...**

I woke up in my hospital bed, my ears tricking me thinking I heard someone's voice. I ignored it, sometimes I imagined things that weren't even there. The hallucinations stopped, but back then it was crazy.

I got out of my bed and went to the bathroom, doing my usual routine of cleaning my teeth, washing my face and getting dressed. I ate a cereal bar, the last cereal bar I had on me, for breakfast. I went to Rick's room, to go change his bandages. But he wasn't there, his bed empty.

"Rick?" I called out.

Coming out of the bathroom in his hospital gown, Rick looked at me, his unshaven face looking at me with so much confusion "Who are you?"

I didn't answer him at first, I just stared at him. I never thought he would actually come out of the coma, well not this fast anyway. With him finally standing, I saw that he was taller than me, I would guess he is 5 foot and 10 inches, where I was 5 foot 6 inches; which was small in high school because everyone in my school would have been Rick's height.

"Where am I?" He asked, breaking me out of my shocked state.

"Listen, I will explain later. But now, your awake, we need to get out of here. Can you walk?" I asked, noticing he was wobbling slightly.

"What?" His confusion was annoying me, but that went away because I knew I would be confused waking up in an abandoned hospital.

"Can you walk?" I asked again.

"Ye- Yes. I can." He answered.

"Good, wait there." I pointed to the floor he was standing on, whilst I headed to my room to grab my backpack and lance.

I grabbed them both, putting the backpack on my back whilst I held the lance in my hand. I looked out the window, seeing there being a few more walkers than to my liking. "We need to go through the fire exit."

Walking out of my room, I saw Rick walking in the hallway slowly, taking in his surroundings. Some of the lights were still working, some flickered and others didn't work at all. Scratch marks could be found along with bloody hand marks. Rick turned to me, "What happened?" He then took notice of my lance, "Why do you have a weapon on you?"

"No time, follow me and keep close." I ordered, taking charge and leading Rick down the hallway. I looked back at rick to see that his bandage was getting old, so I would have to change that once we get to some place safer than the hospital.

We walked past a counter, where Rick tried to use the phone, "Rick, none of the phones work."

Rick put the phone back on the counter, "How do you know my name?"

I ignored his question and kept walking, knowing he would follow me because he had no idea what was going on. Rick was shocked by the damage he was seeing in the corridor: bullet holes, blood puddles, wires hanging from the ceiling. I just walked through it all without a blink of my eye.

I turned to the next set of doors, whilst Rick stopped in front of the cafeteria entrance, looking at the words written on the door.

DON'T OPEN, DEAD INSIDE

Rick's face of confusion returned, replacing his shocked face. He turned to me, "What does it mean, dead inside?"

As soon as they could hear his voice, the walkers started to bang against the door, their pale fingers came through the gap in between the doors. The growling caused Rick to back away from the doors. "You don't wanna find out."

Rick follows me, rapidly pressing the button to the elevator. "Elevator doesn't work either, dumb-ass."

I opened the door to the fire exit, Rick follows me in and I shut the door just in case the walkers did break through, but that was very unlikely."Hang on." I tell rick as I go through my backpack. I pull out the box of matches and lit on, giving us a small amount of light. I held the lit match down slightly, so we could see the steps. "Mind yourself."

After carefully stepping down the steps, I saw the exit just in front of us, so I waved my match out. I opened the door, holding it for Rick as he exited slowly, his eyes squinting from being exposed to sunlight for the first time in two months.

I walked down the fire exit to the car park, looking down at the steps, when I got to the bottom and looked up to find row and row of dead bodies covered in a white sheet. Rick wasn't the only one who had a shocked face, my emotionless face slightly broke, but I recovered quickly; Joe's mouth was still gaping like a fish out of water.

I walked on forward, Rick moving slower as he looked at each dead body. I didn't care about the dead, the only ones who I cared for were six feet under and out of harm's way from the walkers.

Or so I thought. Joe.

I saw Joe's face, the rest of his body covered in a white sheet like the others, his eyes closed but that couldn't cover the bullet hole through his head. I stopped walking, taking it all in, "At least he didn't suffer." That was the only silver lining I could find out of Joe's death.

Rick came to halt at my paused position and followed my stare at Joe, "Did you know him?" I nodded, afraid my voice will be slightly shaky, "What happened?"

I closed my eyes; faced forward, inhaled, exhaled and opened my eyes, "Let's keep moving."

When we exited the car park we had to walk up a small hill, so I held onto Rick's arm so he had some support, knowing he would be slightly unbalanced. Getting top of the hill, Rick's confusion increased after seeing the abandoned helicopter and other military equipment. They didn't leave guns however; not surprising me as I wouldn't leave guns when a war was brewing between the living and the dead.

"Direct me to where your house is." I said in a hushed voice, just in case walkers were lurking somewhere. I let Rick walk beside me, so he could take the lead slightly when needed. After a while, Rick couldn't help but ask more questions, "Can you just please tell me what is going-"

"Shhhhhhh." I pressed my hand to his mouth, muffling his voice. I saw a walker, who heard Rick and now was heading towards us. "Stay behind me." I separated my lance into two blades, moving in for the kill. I cut off the walker's left hand off, before spinning on my heel and slicing the walker's head in half. I waited until it fell before reassembling the blades together.

I looked at Rick's face, a mixture of fear and disgust. "You killed that man."

I grinned, "Did you not see its dead skin? Did you not hear it growling? That thing wasn't a man, just an empty murderous shell of its former self." Rick didn't reply, but his face showed he didn't trust me. "Look, just show me where you live and I will be out of your hair."

Rick didn't move at first, which pissed me off, but again I reminded myself he was in coma for two months. I walked towards him, which he responded with stepping back. I placed my lance on the floor in front of him, "Take my lance, I will be you prisoner if you want."

I placed my hands behind my head, like I was surrendering. I waited for Rick to make a move, hoping he would just accept my deal. Rick walked forward and grabbed my lance, which I responded by getting up slowly and turning my back to him.

Rick was fighting over whether to give the lance back to the kid or direct him to his house at blade point. He decided to go for the latter, "Move."

I huffed but did as I was told. My sister wanted me to keep him alive, otherwise I would be happy to leave his ass in the first place.

After a few minutes of silence, Rick decided to break it, "Who are you?"

"Ooo, an interrogation, never had one of those before." I smirked, wanting to piss him off.

"Answer the question." He prodded the blade at my back, not hard enough to cut through anything.

"My name is Daniel Moore." I answered.

"How do you know me?" He questioned.

"You were my sister's patient." I replied.

"Where is your sister now?" Worst question he could have asked me at that moment.

But I still answered it, "Six feet under, like most people now-a-days."

There was a pause, Rick pitying me, "What happened?"

"You wouldn't believe me." I grinned.

"Tell me." Rick ordered.

I turned my head, so I could make eye contact with Rick from the corner of my eye, "End of the world."

Rick looked at me like I was a crazy man you would find in the streets, proclaiming the earth's reckoning and wearing a billboard with a similar message, "Stop with the bullshit."

"Look around you, Rick. May I remind you about the bodies at the hospital?" I asked.

I didn't hear his response, instead the sound of metal landing on the ground making, a 'CLING' sound. I turned around, to see my lance on the ground and Rick running up to a house, his house. "Shit." I muttered, knowing exacting what that moron was going to do.

I grabbed my lance and ran up to catch up with him. "Lori? Carl? CARL? LORI? CARL?" Rick was calling out, going from room to room to find them.

"Rick, Rick!" I followed him through the rooms, trying to stop the man from attracting more walkers.

I entered the living room, looking down at Rick; on his knees and facing the floor, "Lori? Carl?" Rick's voice was broken and I couldn't blame him. His family was gone and they were never coming back.

Rick curled up into a ball, crying out the pain he was feeling. I didn't know what to do, but seeing him crying on the floor made me think of myself during Lee's death. I sat beside him and grabbed his shoulder, giving it a squeeze so he would realise this was real. "They're gone, Rick. I'm so sorry."

After a while, Rick calmed down. I let him get up and head outside. I followed him, just in case of walkers. Rick sat on the stone step in front of his front yard. I sat beside him on his left-hand side, placing my lance on the ground to my left-hand side. I didn't ask him stupid questions like "Are you okay?" or try to feed him false lies like, "It's gonna be okay." I just let him sat in silence.

I wasn't looking at Rick, just staring in front of me. I saw Rick's head move to my direction, so I looked up but saw he wasn't looking at me but at the street. I turned my head around and saw a walker who hadn't seen us yet.

BUNG

I turned to see Rick knocked out and a shovel heading towards my face. I dodged it my laying back, then I grabbed my lance as I rolled back. "Daddy, Daddy! I got two of them!"

BANG

Ignoring the gunshot for now and looking up, I saw a younger than me, African-american boy, running at me, striking a shovel down at me. I blocked it with the middle of my lance, then I swung my lance, causing the boy to let go of his shovel. I dropped my lance, not planning on killing anyone living and tackled him to the ground.

I was on top, but before I could deliver a punch, I was pulled and thrown back. I grabbed my lance as I rolled on the ground and looked up, to see an older man, same colour skin as the young boy, his pistol aimed at me. "Who are you?" The older man asked.

"Why the fuck did your psycho-kid attack us?" I responded.

"Is your friend infected?" The older man asked, ignoring my question.

"No, now answer my question!" I ordered, even though I was the one at gunpoint.

The older man raised his gun, so I was no longer at gunpoint. "My son thought you were walkers."

"Your stupid-ass son needs to get his eyes checked." I spat.

The older man growled, pointing his gun back at me, "Watch your mouth!"

I looked through the corner of my eye at Rick, whose nose was bleeding and he was knocked out. "Listen, I don't want trouble. Just leave us alone." I laid my lance down, not wanting it to end in pointless bloodshed.

"Fine, but we need to get you two off the streets, more walkers will be here." The older man put his gun back in his back pocket before turning around and pulling Rick onto his shoulder.

"You don't need to-"

"No time, follow us." The older man interrupted, walking off down the street. His son following closely behind, turning around to make sure I was still following them and a safe distance away from himself.

I had no choice, that idiot's gunshot was definitely going to attract walkers.

* * *

Rick's nose wasn't broken, luckily, and whilst Rick was knocked out, I changed his bandage. His wound would be fully healed soon and then I could leave him alone in peace.

Rick woke up, his eyes looking around the room, confused about the change of location. I smiled, "What is it with you and being unconscious?"

Rick slightly smiled at my joke, "Where are we?"

"Some guy's old house. Morgan and Duane have been hiding out here." I said, putting away my medical kit into my backpack.

"Morgan and Duane?" Rick repeated their names.

"The two who attacked us. Duane only attacked us because he thought we were walkers." I replied.

"Why did they take us in?" Rick asked.

"Duane smashed a shovel in your face and attacked me, I think the least they could do is take us in for the night." I said as I zipped up my back.

"Is my nose broken?" Rick asked, touching it with is fingers.

"Nah, just bruised, Duane didn't hit you too hard." I explained, "I also changed your bandage."

Rick looked at his fresh, new bandage, then to me with confusion, "You have medical training?"

"Well, sort of. Nothing extreme. But I can perform minor surgeries and diagnose most illnesses." I answered with a little bit of proud-ness.

"Who trained you?" Rick asked. He wanted to know more about me because he had no idea why I was at the hospital.

"My sister and my neighbour, Joe. A good man." I looked down at the floor, in case my eyes had tears in them.

Rick waited a few seconds before asking, "What happened to them?"

I took in a deep breath. I knew if I met anyone, someone would ask that question. "Joe, shot by military soldiers, for no God damn reason." Rick didn't show it, but like he was more the most of that day, he was shocked. "Lee, my sister and used to be your doctor, she was bitten. She turned into a walker,"

I stopped when I saw through Rick's face that he didn't understand what walker meant. "Walkers are those things you saw in the cafeteria. They're suppose to have died, but they come back as monsters."

Rick nodded, not fully understanding, but still wanted to know about Lee, "So Lee came back after dying and I," I stopped talking when I sensed tears were close to emerging. Rick knew without me finishing my sentence what I did.

"I'm sorry." Rick said, his eyes showing empathy.

I smirked, "Why? You were in a coma. Not your fault the world turned shit."

Rick wanted to change the subject, "So how did you find me?"

That wasn't the right question to change the subject, "Wasn't you I was looking for in the hospital." Rick closed his eyes and looked away, annoyed that he brought it back to Lee, "The truth is the day after, Lee's death, I found a letter for me in your room."

I didn't want to explain it any more, so I went to my backpack and pulled out the letter, passing it to Rick to read. I always keep that letter with me, the only thing of Lee's that I have besides a photo of her and Joe at a Christmas party. I remembered he set up mistletoe at his apartment for Lee. She did kiss him, but didn't realise what that would do to him. I still laugh at that memory.

Rick read it, the sadness in his eyes increasing by each word he read. When he finished it, he handed it back to me, "Thank you, for looking after me."

I just smiled, "Let's go, Morgan's prepared dinner for us." I left the room so Rick could get ready.

* * *

Morgan filled a bowl up with baked beans and passed it to me, my stomach rumbled loudly at the smell of it. "I hope that didn't attract any walkers." I joked.

Duane and Morgan laughed, "Someone hasn't eaten much, I'm guessing." Morgan raised his eyebrow.

"Nothing but cereal bars and anything else I could find in the hospital fridge." I answered.

"So, that's how you met Rick," Duane asked, "At the hospital."

I nodded, "I've been looking after him for the last month, he was in a coma."

Morgan had both of his eyebrows raised up, "Oh lord, so he has no idea about the walkers?"

I shook my head, "No, he was frantic when he found his house empty."

Just as I finished my sentence, I heard the stairs creak. I turned to see Rick in a robe, looking around the house. "This place; Fred and Cindy Drake's."

"Never met them." Morgan replied.

"This was they place." Rick added.

"Empty when we got here." Morgan added. Rick went to look peek through one of the make-shift curtains, but Morgan warned him, "Don't do that, they will see the light. More of them out than usual."

Morgan turned back to sit down at the table, "Never should have fired that gun today. Sound draws them now they're all over the street. Stupid using a gun, it all happened so fast. I didn't think."

"You shot that man today." Rick stated.

"Man?" Morgan shrugged off, amused at how little Rick knows.

"That wasn't a man, it was a walker." I clarified.

"Here, eat." Morgan gave Rick a spoonful of the baked beans.

Before we ate, Duane said to his dad, "Daddy, bless them."

Morgan turned to us, "Right."

Morgan and Duane linked hands, Morgan holding his hand out to Rick; Duane's hand was facing me. "I don't believe in that crap, but they took me in." I thought taking Duane's hand and holding out mine to Rick. Rick took mine and Morgan's in both of his hands.

Morgan and Duane closed their eyes, me and Rick didn't. "Lord we thank thee for this food, thy blessings. We ask you to watch over us in this crazy days. AM."

"AM." Duane copied.

We all began to eat, Morgan turned to Rick, "Daniel was telling me you don't know anything about the walkers, is that true?"

Rick nodded, "I woke up from a coma, Daniel took me out of the hospital, then we went to my house. Everything else is blank."

"So you don't know about the dead?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, there was bodies everywhere in the hospital." Rick answered.

"No, the ones who don't stay dead, the walkers. The one on the street was one, he would have ate your flesh and if this is the first you're hearing about it, then I know how crazy this sounds." Morgan said.

"They're out there now?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, more active at night. But we are fine if we stay quiet, they will be gone by morning." I answered.

"The reason we attacked is because I saw your bandage, thought you were bit. You see bites kill you, burns you out. After a while, you come back." Rick looked at me through the corner f his eye, I was staring down at my plate.

"I've seen it happen." Duane commented, Morgan rubbed his arm to comfort him. I could only guess certain people, but I still felt sad for them.

"Same." I added. Duane gave me a small smile, like he was grateful someone other than his dad knew what it was like to see someone turning.

* * *

After dinner, Morgan took the mattress down to the living room, where they slept as well. I took the couch, letting Rick have the mattress. Morgan was talking to Duane, so I decided to talk to Rick, "Is Carl your son?" I asked; I was laid on my side on the couch.

Rick was facing away from the couch, but turned his head to face me, "Yes, he's younger than you."

"And Lori, is she your wife?" I asked.

Rick nodded, "Yes, she is."

I wanted to change the subject, "So your gunshot wound, did you get from robbing banks?"

Rick laughed, "Yeah, that's me. Most wanted bank robber in of the USA." I laughed. Rick shook his head, smiling, "No, I'm a sheriff."

I nodded, understanding that was just the word for fancy cop.

A car alarm broke the peaceful silence.

Duane got up startled, "It's okay. One of them must have bumped a car." Morgan claimed.

"You're sure?" Rick asked.

"Happened once before. Duane, Daniel, get the lights."

Duane turned the lamp off, So did I with the on closest. Morgan looked through the make-shift curtain, "It's the blue one, same as last time."

Rick looked through, so did I. The street was full of walkers. No way you could go out they and not be killed. I felt Duane look through as well. Duane's body froze, "Dad, she's here."

"Don't look. Go on, go." Duane ran to his bed, crying and sobbing loudly. "Shhhh, it's okay." Morgan lied.

I turned around to see a walker, who was female and also African-american. This was the walker who Duane saw.

This used to be Duane's mother.

When the walker got out of my sight, Rick moved to the front door, to look through the peep-hole. I looked at Rick, guessing he was looking at the same walker as well.

CLICK

I saw the door handle turn, my heart beat increased. But then I remembered the door was barricaded. Rick and I backed away from the door, "She- she died in the other room. I had no idea. That fever; her skin gave off heat like a radiator" Morgan took a second to look at Duane, who was quieter than before, but was still sobbing, "I- I knew I should have put her down but- I just didn't have it in me."

I was the opposite, I could do it.

* * *

The next morning, Rick asked Morgan if we could investigate his house. I didn't know what he wanted from there, but I wasn't gonna to question his motives. Morgan allowed it, giving Rick a baseball bat for protection.

After we un-barricaded the front door, Rick slowly stepped outside, "Are we sure that they are dead? I have to ask, just one more time."

"They're dead. Expect for the ones with no damage to the brain. That's why it is got to be the head." Morgan answered. We walked outside, Rick leading, me behind, Morgan and Duane standing together. A walker was laying by the fence, who heard us and stood up, heading towards Rick.

Rick swung the bat, smashing the baseball into the side of his left-hand side of its head, before swinging again onto its right-hand side. When the walker dropped to the ground, Rick delivered the final blow by slamming the baseball bat onto its head. Rick fell to the ground, clutching his side, where his bandage was.

"Are you okay?" I asked, bending down slightly to see if it was his wound causing the trouble.

"Just give me a minute." I realised Rick still saw that walker as a person, So Rick believed he killed someone.

* * *

Rick entered his house, his breath slightly shaky, "They're alive. My wife and son. At least they were when they left."

I felt sorry for him, he still had hope. "Rick, when I said they were gone. I meant that they are,"

"I know what you meant, but I know they are alive." Rick cut me off.

"How could you possible know that?" Morgan asked.

"I found their draws. They packed some clothes, not a lot, but enough for travel." Rick stated.

"Anyone could have broken in and stole those clothes, Rick." I shook my head, hating that Rick was getting his hopes up.

Rick pointed to the nail above the fireplace, "Photos are missing. A random thief stole those too, right?" Rick asked sarcastically. "Photo albums, family pictures, all gone."

"Photo albums," Morgan laughed, sitting down by the dining room table, "My wife, same thing. They I am grabbing survival gear, she's grabbing the photo album." Morgan stopped talking, something I did with Rick when talking about Lee.

"They in Atlanta, I bet." Duane said.

"That's right." Morgan added.

"Why there?" I asked.

"Refugee centre, huge one they said before the broadcasting stopped." Morgan replied. "Military protection, food, shelter. They told people to go there, said it would be safest."

"Plus they got that disease place." Rick and I didn't understand what Duane meant.

"Centre for Disease Control. They said they were walking out a way to solve this thing." Morgan explained.

Rick headed to the kitchen, opening a cabinet and taking keys off a small hook.

"What are those to?" I asked, pointing to the keys.

"We're going to need protection," Rick looked at my lance, "Well, some of us need protection."

* * *

Rick opened the door to the police station; it was dark so we had flash-lights on to look around. Rick opened a door in the corridor, revealing the men's locker room. I looked to the right-hand side of the room to see showers.

Showers. My body felt dirty and sticky just looking at the shower because it reminded me that I went a whole month without one. Rick turned on a shower and to our joy, it worked.

* * *

After remove our clothes, we all had a well-deserved shower. Rick was shaving, Morgan was doing tiny jumps of delight, Duane was dancing. I was just getting rid of the blood-stains off my skin, making my skin seem paler.

* * *

Towel wrapped around our waists, Rick handed me and Duane our clothes, "Changing room is down there." Rick pointed.

"Thanks." We both thanked.

We both headed to the dressing room, each facing the other way so we had our privacy. "Atlanta sounds good. Me and my dad may head out there soon." Duane commented.

"Hopefully it is too crowded." I replied, putting my underwear and pants on.

"Probably. Rick seems like a cool dad." Duane said.

"He is alright." I replied, putting my black shirt on and my purple hoodie on as well.

"You're bad-ass for having that cool lance with you." I could hear Duane's jealousy.

"Found it at this gun store, cellar underneath was filled with comics and stuff." I was fully dressed and turned around. Duane was just putting on his shirt on.

"Really?" Duane looked like a kid who was just told about Santa.

"Yeah, just look for the one with the broken windows." I answered.

I think Duane was the first person my age who I befriended.

* * *

Rick opened the cage-door, allowing us to enter the weapons vault. Pistols and shotguns as far as the eye can see. Rick surprised me when he said that some of it was missing, because It looked like enough from looking at it.

"Daddy, can I learn to shoot? I'm old enough." Duane asked.

"Well I have to teach you, you need to learn to respect the weapon." Morgan replied.

"That's right, it's not a toy. When you pull the trigger, you got to mean it, always remember that, Duane." Rick spoke seriously.

Without Rick looking, I took two handguns two ammo boxes and two mags, putting them into my backpack. I may have a lance, but you can't say no to a gun when it comes to walkers.

"Conserve your ammo, goes faster than you think. Especially at target practice." Rick stated.

"Duane, help me take this to the car." Morgan lifted a bag full of guns and ammo to his son, who took as they headed towards their vehicle.

This gave me time to talk with Rick, "Guess this is where we part." I said to Rick.

Rick was confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean this is where we go our separate ways." I explained. getting ready to walk away.

"I can't let you go out their alone." Rick stated.

"Don't worry, I looked after your ass for a month." I grinned.

"I mean I'm not letting you go out they alone. You may have survived for this long, but I can't let you stay here when I know you will be safe in Atlanta." I knew this was the father part of Rick, who couldn't let young children be alone in a dangerous environment.

But I wasn't a kid, "I have a lance, I'll be fine." Rick tried to persuade me further, but I walked off. I walked to Duane before I left. "Morgan, can I borrow that shovel?"

"Why?" Morgan asked, "You got an effective weapon already." Morgan pointed to my lance.

"I know, but I want to say goodbye to someone."

Morgan understood what I meant. "Don't worry about giving it back."

* * *

Digging a grave with a shovel was less painful than with your hands. I dug the hole right next to Lee's. I knew he would have liked that, maybe Lee would too.

I dug the hole, but left Joe's body at the hospital. It wasn't a far walk, so it wouldn't take long. when I turned however, Rick was carrying Joe's wrapped body on his shoulder. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Morgan told me you were going to say goodbye to someone. I figured it was him who you were going to say goodbye to." Rick placed Joe's body in the hole. Joe fit perfectly, to my relief.

I just nodded, not going to thank or reject Rick's presence. I put the dirt over Joe's body; Rick did offer to do it, but I said I needed to it myself. Rick understood.

I stared at Joe's grave for 5 minutes, before Rick asked, "So what was Joe to you?"

I took my time to answer, "My neighbour. My best friend. My only friend not including Lee."

Rick nodded, not able to think of a response to that. "I can't leave you, I owe you my life."

I smirked, "Fine, you take me to Atlanta, then you don't owe me anything, deal?" I held my hand out.

Rick smiled and shook my hand, "Deal."

I pierced the shovel into the ground above Lee's and Joe's graves, so if I came back, I know where they would be.

I turned to Rick, "Come on. Let's be alone together."

* * *

**Second chapter up! I love writing this story.**

**I finally caught up with The Walking Dead. Andrea's death made me shed a tear, especially when she told Rick she knew how the safety worked.**

**Can't wait for Season 4!**

**Review your thoughts! If you like my story, don't be afraid to favourite it and follow it.**

**Keep on reading,**

_**Daniel Nilrem**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Dumb-Ass Ideas

**Chapter 3: The Dumb-Ass Ideas**

**Present**

"Broadcasting on emergency channel. We will be approaching Atlanta on highway eighty-five. Anybody reads, please respond." Rick was trying his police radio to see if anyone was out there. I wouldn't have bothered, like anybody is going to carry some radio around with them when they should be carrying guns and supplies that actually help them. "Hello? Hello? Can anybody hear my voice? Anybody out there? Anybody that hears me, please respond."

"Why do you even try? Nobody is going to be carrying around a heavy radio around with them." I said.

"If anyone is out there alone, I want to know so I can help them." Rick replied, "Why you ask?" You don't believe anyone is out there?"

"I just think that they are either in Atlanta or they are walkers. Either way neither side is going to bother with the radios." I responded.

"You've got to faith," Rick pulled out a photo, it was him, his son and his wife, smiling as they picture was taken, "Especially during these times."

I felt angry at Rick, only because I didn't want to see him so depressed when he learnt of his family's demise. "Rick, you do know that the alternative happened, right?"

Rick looked at me, irritation on his face, "Why do you have to always bring up the negatives?"

"I don't need to bring them up. We are living in one gigantic negative." I waved my arm at the deserted scenery.

"Well, you got to have hope in this difficult times." Rick countered.

I chuckled, "You can have hope, I got nothing." Rick couldn't argue, he knew I had no one. We let the silence fill our ears for a while, before I got bored with it and wanted to hear something, "Do you have any music we can listen to?"

"I think I still have a tape in the music player. Sorry it won't be anything you've heard of." I pressed the play button and sat back, expecting some old country song.

_Loving you _

_Isn't the right thing to do _

_How can I _

_Ever change things that I feel? _

_If I could _

_Maybe I'd give you my world _

_How can I _

_When you won't take it from me? _

_You can go your own way! _

_Go your own way _

_You can call it another lonely day _

_Another Lonely day _

_You can go your own way! _

_Go your own way _

_Tell me why _

_Everything turned around? _

_Packing up _

_Shacking up's all you wanna do _

_If I could _

_Baby I'd give you my world _

_Open up _

_Everything's waiting for you _

_You can go your own way! _

_Go your own way _

_You can call it another lonely day _

_Another Lonely day _

_You can go your own way! _

_Go your own way _

_You can go your own way! _(I was mouthing the lyrics as the song played, Rick noticed which made him grin.)

_Go your own way _

_You can call it another lonely day _

_Another lonely day _

_You can go your own way! _

_Go your own way _

_You can call it another lonely day _

_You can go your own way _

_You can call it another lonely day _

_You can go your own way _

_Go your own way._

I turned to Rick, who was grinning, "What?"

"I'm surprised. You know Fleetwood Mac?" Rick asked, amused.

"They're my favourite band." Rick's grin grew, "Everyone liked Brittany spears or Beyoncé. But my ears our for the older stuff. Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac and Journey, before that crappy high school TV series ruined their songs."

Rick laughed, "My son hates my taste of music."

"Your son has bad taste in music then." I waved my finger, as though I was telling Carl off.

Carl should appreciate the cool dad he has because in this world, the things we appreciate can be easily taken from us.

* * *

Three times listening to all of the Fleetwood Mac songs on the tape and the car ran out of fuel. Rick took his photo of his family and the bag of guns out with him; I put my backpack on my back and held my lance. Rick had the bag of guns in one hand and the gas canister in the other.

We walked on down the highway, "So what do you plan on doing, after all of this?" Rick asked.

I chuckled, "What makes you think that this will end?"

Rick shook his head, "Drop the negativity and just answer the question."

I smirked, "I want, well, wanted to be a doctor."

Rick smiled, "Why?"

"What?" I asked facing Rick, confused about his question.

"Why do you want to be a doctor?" Rick asked again with extra detail.

I looked forward and smiled slightly, "My sister. When I was eight, an old man collapsed in front of us, outside a cinema. I didn't know what to do, I felt weak, powerless, useless because I didn't know how to save his life. But Lee, she didn't even flinch. She just, raced over and performed CPR. The old man died, but she brought him back to life."

I took a pause, remembering it on in my head. "I knew that I wanted to be like my sister. Brave, independent, never panicking when things get rough."

Rick smiled at me, "Sounded like she was an amazing person."

I wanted to change the topic, "It's that and I like dissecting things."

Rick laughed, I don't whether it was because he thought I was joking or that he found me weird.

We saw a farm up ahead, Rick decided to see if anyone was there that could lent us some fuel. "Hello? Police officer out here!" Rick called out, putting the bag full of guns on the ground. No response.

"Yes, because the law still appeals in the United States of Dead America." I said sarcastically.

Rick ignored me, "Can I borrow some gas?" No response. Rick started to walk ahead, walking up to the porch. "Hello?" Rick knocked on the front door and looked through the small window on the front door. "Anybody home?"

I looked through the window next to the front door, but I couldn't see anybody. Rick looked through the next window along and his face dropped, his face going slightly paler. I walked up to see what made him look like that, ignoring Rick "Daniel don't,"

They couldn't cope.

A couple, probably married, had committed suicide. The male was holding the shotgun, so he must off shot his wife, than himself. Rick walked down the porch steps and sat on the bottom step. I joined him, unlike Rick, I wasn't really affected by what I saw.

"You didn't expect everyone to have hope, did you?" I asked, wondering whether Rick knew how bad the world is.

Rick shook his head, "I knew that some people may have giving up, but it's still hard to see."

I shook my head at him, "Death is a daily event now. You can't be shocked when you find a dead body or see some stranger die."

"It doesn't mean we should lose hope." Rick countered.

I sighed, letting the silence do its thing. After a few minutes of empty sound, I heard the sound of neighing. I turned my head to see a caramel-brown horse. "Woah." I got up slowly, Rick seeing where I was heading. I raised my hand to stroke the horse and to my delight it didn't flinch or move away. I petted its head.

"This the first time you seen a horse?" Rick asked. I didn't see his face, but I could tell he was smiling.

"Of course not. The second." I replied, embarrassed for some reason. Was it normal to have seen a horse more than once in your life? Again, Lee only took me once for my birthday.

"Well, I think we just found our new ride to Atlanta." Rick said as he walked away to find the gear to ride the horse.

I turned around walking with him, "Now you have a reason to wear your little cowboy hat."

"It's a sheriff's hat." Rick justified, straighten his hat.

"Whatever you say, partner." I mocked in a Texan accent.

I got on the horse, my backpack and lance on my back. Rick sat in front of me, the bag of guns on his back. I held onto Rick's bag for support, "Okay nice and easy."

"Where's the fun in that? Hiyah!" I slapped the horse on the side of its back-right-leg, causing it to gallop across the field. Rick nearly lost balance, making me laugh, but he regained his posture and soon got on fast on how to ride the horse. That was the first time I laughed so hard for a long time.

* * *

As soon we got back on the highway, the horse started to slow down, much to my boredom and Rick's delight. "So, what do you want to call him?" Rick asked.

"Call who?" I asked.

"The horse, what do you want to call it?" Rick asked again.

"Tom." I replied, my reply being almost immediate that it puzzled Rick.

"Why Tom?" Rick asked.

"My favourite actor was Tom Hanks." I replied.

Rick nodded, "So you liked Toy Story?"

Rick looked back to see my not-amused face, "First off, I saw it once and didn't like it because it was too childish and stupid, toys can't come to life. Second, Tom Hanks is my favourite actor because of Road to Perdition, my favourite movie."

Rick chuckled, "I never actually saw that movie."

Mild-anger raised in my body, like an erupting volcano, "That's it. Stop the horse, Rick." I half-joked.

Rick laughed and I soon followed his lead as well. We both stopped however, when we looked at our left, we saw abandoned cars, all heading out in the opposite direction. "Let's keep moving." Rick tugged slightly on the rope, making Tom move forward.

"Rick, those cars are heading out of the city." I mentioned.

"And?" Rick asked.

"Why were people heading out the city when it was supposed to be a safe zone? Not to mention, why are they abandoned?" I questioned.

"Let's have a look around the city. If anything suggests that it isn't safe, we head on out." Rick replied.

We were riding over the bridge, when I noticed that they weren't any guards or sign of life. "No guards?"

"It may be further ahead." I was getting annoyed with Rick's refusal to see that Atlanta was deserted.

"Streets are empty." I muttered.

The horse side-stepped away from an abandoned bus. I held tightly on the bag to keep my balance. "Easy." Rick calmed down Tom.

I looked into the bus, to see two, maybe three walkers. "Rick, there are walkers here."

"Maybe they didn't manage to keep all of Atlanta safe." Rick's denial was pissing me off.

"Rick, look around. Atlanta's deserted. There must have left this place and moved," I stopped talking when I thought I heard something, the sound of a helicopter.

"Moved what,"

"Shhhh," I pointed to the tall building, where the windows reflected the image of a helicopter. Rick caught on.

"Hiyah." Rick whipped the rope, causing Tom to race forward, so we could get a look at the helicopter. But when we went round the corner, Duane's advice shouted inside of my head.

"If the walkers are in a herd, run."

There were hundreds, maybe thousands of walkers, and they all saw us.

Rick whipped the rope again, steering Tom to race back where we came from. I looked back to see the walkers were chasing after us, all of their arms stretched out, trying to grab their meal.

Rick stopped Tom; I looked in front to see that they were a hundred walkers blocking our path. I took my lance out and began to swipe at the walkers. I got some of them, but there were too many. Tom buckled, causing me and Rick to fall of him. My backpack slipped off my shoulders.

I saw for a few mere seconds, in horror, as the walkers ripped open Tom, feasting on him. I felt the tiniest bit upset, but then the realisation that i surrounded by walkers hit me. "Rick!" I shouted, getting up and swinging my lance, decapitating most of the walkers.

I couldn't see Rick, but I had no time to get upset. I saw the tank and headed for the top. I swung my lance to remove any nearby walkers. The latch was open so all I had to do was hop down into the tank, my lance narrowly fitting in with me. I closed the latch and gathered myself, placing my back against the tank-wall "Holy shit. Rick's,"

Before I could even finish my thought, I heard gunshots. "He's alive and putting up a fight." I think to myself, praying he would make it out alive. I slowly moved my head to my right to notice a dead solider, but he wasn't dead. He moved his decaying head slowly to face me, its jaw opening, already eager to take a bite out of me.

I didn't even hesitate as I grabbed my lance and jabbed it through its eye, hitting the brain. I saw something in the corner of my eye, but before I try to grab my lance, I recognised that it was Rick.

"Thank God, you're alive." Rick breathed.

"Don't thank me yet. We're trapped after all." I replied. "Oh, and by the way, fuck you, asshole."

Rick looked at me like I grew another head, "What did I do?"

"I told you that something was weird about Atlanta. I mean did the abandoned cars, the abandoned city or even the walkers not give you a fucking clue?" I mocked, anger in my voice was unquestionable.

"Okay, hold on, how was I suppose to know that the city was filled with walkers. they didn't exactly have a huge sign saying, 'turn around, city filled with walkers.', did they?" Rick shouted back.

I didn't reply, mainly because arguing was a waste of time and energy. Instead, I moved to the now-dead solider, checking to see if he had anything useful on him. I saw he had a handgun on him, "Here." I slid the handgun to Rick.

"Thanks, my pistol has ran out of ammo." Rick thanked.

I searched around the solider, to find a grenade next to him. I picked it up and placed it in my pocket. It wouldn't distract the walkers and I doubt fire killed them either. Rick didn't notice me taking the grenade as he was checking the handgun for ammo.

"He-hey you." I turned my head and faced Rick, but it wasn't him that spoke. He looked at the radio, "You two still alive in there?" Rick nearly sprinted to the radio, banging his head on the way. I would have laughed my heart out, if I didn't have hundreds of walkers outside trying to eat it.

Rick answered the radio, "Hello? Hello?"

"There you are, you had me wondering," I could tell the voice was definitely male.

Rick cut off the voice's sentence, ""Where are you? Outside? Can you see me right now?" Rick bombarded the voice with questions.

"Yeah, you're surrounded by walkers; that's the bad news." the voice responded.

"There's good news?" Me and Rick asked at the same time.

"No." the voice replied.

I took the radio from Rick, "Listen, I don't know you and you don't know us. But right now, I'm kinda shitting myself here."

Rick snatched the radio back from me, "You should see it from here. You two would be freaking out." The voice added.

"Any advice?" Rick asked. I just noticed the sweat on his forehead; feeling my forehead too, I could tell I was sweating like crazy.

"Yeah. I say make a run for it." I chuckled at that stupid idea.

"That's it? Make a run for it?" Rick questioned.

"My way isn't as dumb as it sounds, you got eyes on the outside here. There's one geek still up on the tank, but the others are having a feast-frenzy with the horse. You with me so far?" The voice asked to continue.

I nearly threw up when he mentioned Tom, the image of him being teared open still fresh in my mind. "So far." Rick said, obviously in a hurry to get the hell out of this tank. I couldn't blame

"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded, so if you move now, you have a chance. Got any ammo?" The voice asked. It sounded suicidal, but I was prepared for it.

"All in that duffel bag I dropped, full of weapons. Can I get to it?" Rick asked.

"Or my backpack?" I added to Rick's question. Rick looked at me with a look that said, 'What for?', which I replied with, "It has all my medical supplies and two handguns in there." Rick would ask me about the handguns later.

I knew the answer to that before the male voice replied, "Forget the bags, it's not an option. What do you have on you?"

"A baretter with fifteen-rounds and my friend has a detachable lance on him." Rick responded.

"Let your friend led first so he get rid of all the close-up geeks. You have to make sure you make every round count. Jump off the right-side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There is an alley, fifteen yards, be there." The voice ordered.

"Hey, what's your name?" Rick asked.

"Have you not been listening, we're running out of time." I looked up to find a shovel, which I gave to Rick. I separated my lance into two katanas, getting ready for the nearby walkers.

I opened the latch, turning around to see a walker facing me. I slashed at its eyes, managing to do damage to its brain. I get out, with Rick only centimetres behind me. We jumped of the tank, Rick having a less fortunate landing, but he recovered and began shooting any walkers that were behind us. I hacked my way through the dead flesh like my katanas were machetes and the walkers were vines in the jungle.

We turned around the corner, where I nearly swiped at a figure at the entrance, I only stopped when I heard it shout, "Whoa whoa whoa! I'm alive! Come on!" It was an Asian boy, who was wearing a baseball cap and baseball jersey over a black shirt; he wore jeans as well. He looked only like he could be only just right-years older than me.

"Move! Faster!" The Asian male shouted as we followed him down the alley. We got to a ladder, where the Asian male went up first and I went up next.

I still heard gunshots and looked down to see Rick still shooting at the walkers, "Rick! Get out of there!" I shouted.

Rick looked up, before he climbed up the ladder as well, a walker just missing his foot. The Asian male helped me up the at the top of the ladder and we both did the same for Rick. I didn't realise until we stopped moving, but I was out of breath, the taste of copper was in my mouth. I looked at Rick, "No bites?"

Rick shook his head, catching his breath too, "No bites. You?"

"As if I'm gonna die when it's only been a month during the apocalypse." I chuckled.

"Nice moves, Batman and Robin." The Asian huffed; he was out of breath too.

"Robin wishes he was me." I smirked, still trying to get some oxygen into my lungs.

"So what was the deal? Were you two trying to be the heroes? Tried and failed at cleaning the city?" The Asian asked.

"Ain't nobody got time for that." I placed my back on the wall, moving away from the ledge where I could see hundreds of walkers stretching their arms out as though it would help them get us.

"Well whatever reason it was, you're both still dumb-asses." The Asian shook his head at us, like a disappointed parent.

"His idea." I pointed at Rick.

"I'm Rick and he's Daniel. Thanks for saving us." Rick held his hand out.

"Glenn and you're both welcome." Glenn shook Rick's hand. Rick noticed Glenn's backpack and placed the baretter in it. "Oh no." Glenn looked down at the walkers.

I looked down as well, to see that a walker was climbing up the ladder. "Holy shit! They can do that?"

I turn around to see Glenn climbing up the second ladder, which had no railings around it like the last one did and was ten times longer as well. "You're not scared of heights, are you?" Glenn asked me.

I shook my head, "Silver lining is that if I fall off, that will kill me before they do." I grabbed the ladder and began climbing up.

* * *

After reaching the rooftop, Rick decided to begin his interrogation on Glenn, although it was less discomforting than the interrogation he gave me, "Were you the one who barricaded the alley?"

"Somebody did. I guess when the city got overrun. Whoever did it was thinking. Keeps the geeks out." Glenn replied.

"Why did you stick your neck out for us?" Rick asked.

"Like I was going to let you and your son die out there." Glenn answered as he opened a latch open, throwing his backpack down.

"I'm not his son, but thank you." I nodded, following Glenn down the ladder whilst Rick closed the latch.

Glenn ran to the fire exit, whilst me and Rick followed closely behind. "I got two guests. Plus four geeks in the alley." Glenn stated through his walkie-talkie.

Glenn stopped, seeing two walkers in front of us. I budged past him and separated my katanas into two. I sliced one's head in half vertically, then I spun on my heel and sliced the other's into two horizontally. As I finished, two SWAT uniformed strangers with baseball bats came popping out of a door. "Go! Go!" Glenn shouted, racing to the door. I ran to the door, following the two strangers.

As soon as we all got into the building, Rick was shoved against a pile of boxes by a blond, Caucasian woman, a gun pointed to his face "Son-of-a-bitch, we should kill you."

I placed my one end of my joint katanas by the woman's neck, the blade just glazing the skin, "Drop the gun, now." I threatened. I may have only gotten to known Rick for two whole days out of the month I known him, but I wasn't gonna let his brains be blown out by some random bitch.

The woman didn't budge, neither did I, her eyes still on Rick and mine were on her, "Let's not do anything stupid." The chubby, thirty-something male spoke.

"Stupid was saving this two strangers." The blond woman countered.

"Bitch, pull that trigger and I swear to God, I will slit your throat." I threatened again, which scared the others in the room, including Rick and Glenn.

"Andrea, Daniel, just calm down." Glenn stated, Rick not saying a word in case it caused Andrea to lose it and pull the trigger.

Andrea pulled away the same time I did, "We're dead. Because of this two."

"I don't understand." Rick said, confused to why Andrea was hostile and emotional.

"Look. We're here to savage for supplies, not gun-slinging are way through town." The man pulled Rick along with him to the front of the store.

"You rang the dinner bell." Andrea added. I looked at the locked front doors to the shop and saw walkers slamming their palms on the glass, one smashing brick against the glass. "What the hell were you two doing out there anyway?"

"We were looking for the refugee centre. Last thing that was said on the radio." I answered.

"Can you contact the others?" The chubby, Hispanic man asked.

The African-american male tried turning the dial on the walkie-talkie, but we only heard static. "Is that the refugee camp?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, they got biscuits in the oven waiting for us." The African-american woman sarcastically answered.

"No signal. Maybe the roof?" Just as the African-american man suggested the roof, gunshots could be heard from above.

"Is that Dickson?" Glenn asked, all of the strangers ran towards the stairs.

Running to the rooftop, I heard the Hispanic man shout, "Dickson, are you crazy?"

I got outside, seeing a bald-man, redneck-looking man with a rifle chuckling, "You should be more polite to a man with a gun. It's common sense."

"You're wasting the bullets!" The African-american man shouted.

"It's bad enough I got this taco-bender on my ass and I'm taking orders from you? I don't think so. That would be the day." Dickson shook his head.

'He isn't applying what I think he is applying.' I thought. I hate discrimination, especially when every living thing has the same enemy and racists want start fights with others for being different, when that hatred should be against the walkers.

"That would be the day? Man, is there something you want to tell me?" The African-american male questioned. I hoped he would knock Dickson's teeth out of his jaw.

"T-dog, just leave it, it ain't worth it. Now Merle, just relax, okay? We got enough trouble." The Hispanic man said, as though he didn't hear the 'taco-bender' remark.

Merle wanted to push T-dog's buttons, "You wanna know the day?"

"Yeah." T-dog nodded.

"I'll tell you the day mister yo, is the day I take orders from a nigga." Trust me when I say I would have stuck the tip of my blade down that racist's throat, if it weren't for T-dog making the first move.

T-dog swung at Merle, but Merle dodged it and slammed the but of his rifle in T-dog's face. T-dog fell backwards, Rick tried to intervene but Merle punched him in the jaw, knocking him off his feet. Merle returned to T-dog, punching and kicking him and I moved to Rick, whose nose was bleeding slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Go help T-dog." Rick replied, his eyes not focused where he was slightly dizzy.

I turned my head to see that Merle was waving his handgun at the others. I picked up the discarded rifle, "Anyone got a problem with me being in charge?"

"Yeah." Merle turned around, just as I slammed the rifle in his face, causing him to drop to the floor. When Merle was on the floor, I took my lance and placed the tip of the blade right above his forehead, keeping him in place.

Rick, now steady and focused, handcuffed Merle to pipe next to him, "Who the fuck are you guys?" Merle shouted, struggling against his restraint.

Rick pulled on Merle's shirt so that they were face to face, "Officer Friendly."

"And I'm Daniel, not pleased to meet you." I spat.

Rick took the handgun, "Listen, Merle. Things are different now. There are no 'niggas' anymore." Rick cocked the handgun, "No dumb-as-shit, white-trash, inbreed fools either." My respect for Rick was increasing at this point. "Only white meat and dark meat. There's us and the dead. We survive by working together, no apart."

Merle rolled his eyes, "Screw you man, and your little buddy over there too."

I disconnected my lance into two katanas, "Daniel." Rick spoke without turning his head. I groaned, rejoining my two katanas. "I can see you making a habit of missing the point."

"Well, screw you both twice." I had it.

I grabbed the rifle and placed the rifle's muzzle by Merle's fore-head, Merle staring at the rifle, then to me, "You should be more polite to a man with a gun. It's common sense."

Merle laughed, "You won't shoot me, you're just a kid."

I pulled on the bolt handle, reloading the rifle, "I'm helping a friend find his wife and son. Anyone that tries to stop us is going to get a bullet through their skull."

Merle's grin dropped slightly because he could tell by looking into my eyes that I was serious. I handed the rifle to Rick, "Just in case I keep my word." I knelt down beside Merle and searched his pockets, finding weed in a plastic bag. Merle chuckled when I found the weed. I smirked too; getting up and throwing the weed off the roof.

"What the fuck? What did you- Fuck you, you little asshole! Just wait til I get out of these cuffs, then you will be sorry. You hear me?" Merle shouted.

"Loud and clear, dick-breath." I faced away from Merle and the others, taking in the destroyed surroundings around me, all caused by walkers. It was upsetting to think this was the place Joe and Lee would take me during some of the weekends. I remember how I saw a parkour gang and how that was the day I decided to learn to parkour.

I must have got distracted by the upsetting surroundings, as Rick brought my attention back to earth, "Daniel, come on."

"Where are you going?" I asked, seeing the others heading into the building.

"We may have found a way out." I followed Rick into the building, wondering what miracle they have found.

* * *

Arriving in the basement, everyone gathered around the hole in the floor, which had a ladder leading to the sewers, "This is it?" I asked Glenn.

"It's the only thing in this building that goes down. But I've never been down. Who would want to, right?" Glenn asked rhetorically, but I saw everyone else face Glenn. "Oh, great."

"We be right behind you." Andrea reassured Glenn.

"No, not you." Glenn replied.

"Why not me? Think I can't?" Andrea asked, leaving Glenn stuttering.

"Speak your mind." Rick said to Glenn.

"Look, I used to go in by myself, grab a few things, then get out. When I bring a group, everything goes to hell. No offence." The others, besides Rick, looked away from Glenn, embarrassed by the truth of that fact. "If you want me to go down there, then we do it my way. It's tight down there, if something's down there, I don't want anyone of you jamming up behind me, getting me killed. I'll take one person."

"Me." The group looked at me, all of them shocked by my bravery to go down there.

"Daniel, no," Rick tried to argue, but I interrupted him before he could start a disapproving rant.

"Listen, I'm the best one to go down there. I'm faster than the rest of you and I have my lance." I argued, some of the group's looks softened from their shocked looks, but I can tell there still didn't like it.

"Daniel's right. He is the best one for the job." I was starting to like Glenn, "Rick, Andrea, you stand by the front of the store since you both have guns. Morales, you go back to T-dog, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Jacqui, you call us back in case anything happens."

Everyone nodded when they got there jobs. Glenn started to walk down the ladder, I followed down the ladder as well. We got to the bottom and I carried my lance in my hands. "I should go first, in case there is anything down here." I said to Glenn, who nodded and let me lead on slowly.

* * *

Glenn shining his flashlight to illuminate the path. Glenn jumped and I turned around, only to see he got scared on a tiny rat, "It's just a rat, Glenn."

"Still hate them." Glenn countered. I chuckled slightly, realising I may have more balls than he does. "So, what's the deal between you and Rick? I mean, how did you end up with each other?"

"Rick was in a coma for two months, the first month being before all this started. He woke up confused, not understanding what happened." I explained.

"Woah, can't imagine what that must have been like." Glenn commented, Rick's coma shocking him.

"It's the same with all of us. We wish it was just a dream; a nightmare, but we don't have that luck." I replied, my voice emotionless. Glenn didn't respond immediately and allowed there to be silence. He probably sensed that the conversation was resurfacing a horrible memory.

"Who did you lose?" Glenn asked. Looking back, I guess that asking now would afford the question ever coming up again with him.

"I lost everyone and everything. Only reason I'm not ending it all is because I promised my sister I wouldn't." I answered.

"Rick seems like a nice guy." Glenn responded to my nickname for Rick.

I turned around and stared at Glenn right in the eye, "Nice doesn't keep a man alive anymore. He needs to accept the fact that you can't be always be the hero." I turned back around and continued down the dark sewer path, "We will die one day. It's just seeing who can survive the longest."

I opened the door that appeared in front of us thanks to the flashlight. Inside, I saw a bars blocking a way into a sewer tunnel. "Jacqui was right." I commented, "Can we cut through it?" I asked.

"If we had half-a-day and a blowtorch. No hacksaw is getting through that." Glenn huffed in disappointment.

We heard footsteps coming from the sewer tunnel, which Glenn shown his light at the source of the sound. We first saw a dead rat, a chunk of it bitten off by the thing holding it, a walker.

The light caught its attention, so it lunged at the bars. I swiped my lance, cutting its arms off as they slipped through the bars, before delivering the final blow. "You okay?" I asked Glenn.

"Yeah. Lets go back, sewers must be filled with walkers." Glenn finally admitted defeat.

* * *

Me and Glenn raced back, meeting Jacqui. Both we could explain anything, we heard the sound of glass shattering. We ran to the front of the store to see that the walkers managed to break through the first set of doors.

"What did you find?" Rick asked.

"Not a way, that's for sure." I replied.

"We need to find a way out, and soon." Andrea added.

"A storm is coming this way." I thought to myself, staring at the dark, grey clouds above us. Rick was looking around the city with binoculars the group had. "See anything yet?" I asked him.

"There's a construction site with trucks inside. They always have keys on hand." Rick handed the binoculars to Morales, who looked at the construction site, then down below at the street.

"You would never make it passed the walkers." Morales stated.

"You got us out of that tank." Rick said to Glenn.

Glenn shook his head, "That's because they were feeding; they were distracted."

"Can we distract them again?" Rick asked.

"Right, listen to him, he's on to something. A diversion, like on Hogan's Heroes." Merle said sarcastically.

"Remind me again why I can't cut his tongue out?" I asked; no one answered.

"They're drawn by sound right?" Rick asked.

"Like dogs. Sound, smell; they will follow until they got a meal." I replied.

"They can tell by smell?" Rick asked.

"Well, it seems the walkers' primary sense is smell, since they irises have faded and decayed. They sense of smell is almost like a dogs, since it can tell the difference between living or dead." After my explanation, everyone looked at me with either a shocked look or impressed look.

"How do you know all this?" Andrea asked, her face showing intrigution.

"I was the rare kind of student that paid attention in biology." I shurgged, like it was no big deal.

* * *

"I got to say, Rick, this isn't your best day when it comes to ideas." I huffed when Rick threw clothes at Glenn.

"Daniel's right, we need time to think this through." Morales argued.

"How much time? They already got through one set of doors; that glass won't hold forever." Rick countered, ending the discussion.

* * *

After collecting the dead body, Rick collected the emergency axe and stood above the dead body. Rick was about to deliver the fatal blow, but hesitated. Instead, he dropped the axe and searched the body for something. "Rick?" I called his name out, confused and slightly worried on what he was doing.

Rick pulled out a wallet, looking at the driver's license, "Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born, 1979." Rick handed me the Dunlap's license so I could look at it. "He had twenty dollars in his pocket when he died. Also a picture of a pretty girl." Rick flipped the picture to look at the writing on the back, "With love, from Rachel."

Rick looked up at us, "He used to be like us. Worrying about the bills, or the rent, or the Superbowl. If I find my family, I'm going to tell them about Wayne." Rick got up and grabbed the axe. Everyone looked away before it happened, but I didn't even flinch when Rick hacked the walker's body to pieces. The smell was still disgusting.

I looked at Rick's face to see that he was disturbed by this, "Rick, I can take over." Rick looked at me and paused, before handing the axe to me. I didn't find it disturbing because this thing may have been a person before hand, but that person died and was replaced with a monster. It's harsh, but that's the way I see them.

After smothering Glenn and Rick with the walker's guts, blood, and whatever else we could put on them, they were ready to head out. "Be ready for us." Rick said to the group.

"What about Merle Dixon?" T-dog asked.

Rick took his gloves off and pulled out the key to the handcuffs out of his pocket; throwing it to T-dog. Before they headed out the door, "Rick," Rick turned to me, "Come back dead and I'll kill ya." I smiled, my threat only half-serious

Rick smiled and nodded, heading out with Glenn to venture through the street filled with walkers. Yep, Rick was a dumb-ass.

I ran with the others up to the roof, just so I could see whether it worked. Morales had the binoculars so I couldn't tell whereabouts in the street they were. "There." Morales pointed at two figures, limping like the rest of the walkers. But it was Glenn and Rick.

"That asshole have the key?" Merle asked. T-dog waved the key, mocking Merle. I laughed at Merle, but stopped when I heard the thunder. "Scared of a little lighting?" Merle snickered.

"Compared to you, Dickless, anything is scary." I scolded, gaining group chuckle from the others.

"Base, this is T-dog, can anyone hear me?." T-dog called down the walkie-talkie.

"Hello? Reception's bad over here. Repeat, repeat." Responded an unknown voice to me.

"Shane? Is that you? We're trapped in the department store! Geeks everywhere!" T-dog raised his voice so that the other end could hear.

"Repeat that, T-dog." The voice asked.

"We're in the department store! Surrounded by geeks!" T-dog shouted, but static was the response that time around. I huffed and stared back at the dead-filled streets. My brain marking another point on how the world was a bitch sometimes. Before I could recap any of the other shitty moments during and before the undead arrived.

A drop.

I felt a drop of water splash on my head. I held my hand out to confirm it. It felt nice, the liquid coolng my skin as it fell on me; nearly made me forget where I was and what was happening for a second. But then like the rain, the reality of the situation poured onto me, "Shit, it's raining."

"And?" Andrea asked.

"The rain will wash they scent away." I snatched the binoculars off Morales and looked down to see Rick and Glenn bashing their way through the walkers. "Come on, Rick. Don't die now."

To their luck, Rick and Glenn managed to jump over the fence, seperating them from the walkers. "They made it." I breathed, not realising that I was holding my breath.

Gunshots could be heard over where Rick and Glenn were, followed by the sight of a trucck driving away in the opposite direction from the department store, "They leaving us." Andrea said.

"Rick won't do that." I replied back.

"Why so sure? I doubt you're the best company." Merle laughed.

"Rick has morals. He'll be back." I said, no rage or bitterness in my voice as I answered Merle's question.

Perfect timing because Glenn's voice could be heard through T-dog's walkie talkie, "The roll-up doors facing the street, meet us there and be ready!"

I wanted nothing more than to do a full-hour sing-along song, singing "I told you!", but there was no time for that then. "You heard him, grab what you need and move!" I ordered, everyone but the handcuffed Merle kicked into action, grabbing their bags and heading down the building by the stairs.

I was in front of everything one else, so I only noticed Andrea and Jacqui behind me. I got to the roll-up doors and held onto the chain, waiting for whatever signal there was going to be. The rest apart from Merle and T-dog joined me, "Shhhhhhh." Morales hushed so we could listen to the sound of a siren.

"What is that?" Andrea asked, but I didn't care at that moment in time. Just as long as it would save my ass, I was happy.

"Wait for me!" T-dog shouted. I looked at his direction to himself, by himself; no Merle. Before I could ask, We heard a banging on the door, which sounded like knocking, so it wasn't a walker but instead must and was the signal.

"Let's go!" I shouted, pulling down on the chain, slowly causing the door to raise. Sunlight broke in through the gap and so did the sight of Rick with a pick-up truck. I helped T-dog up as he was still roughed up thanks to Merle. Morales shut the truck's back door as we raced off, escaping the walkers.

I sat on the sit next to Rick, taking in a lot of needed air for my tired lungs. Rick turned to me quickly, but returned to keeping his eyes on the road, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "I use to love Atlanta. Now I never wanna go back." I laughed to myself.

Rick joined in on my laughter. Remembering we had guests, I turned to the others, "Are you guys fine?" They all nodded. My brain slowly remembered something, "Where's Merle?" I asked T-dog.

Everyone but Rick faced T-dog, who looked like he was frustrated with himself, "I dropped the damm key."

I shrugged and faced the road, not giving two shits about Merle, "He had it coming." I thought to myself.

I turned to Rick, who looked annoyed, probably with himself because we didn't save everybody. I said the only thing I could think of to make Rick think about something over than Merle, "You know, this was the best dumb-ass idea you've had today."

It worked slightly, only the corner of his mouth raising the tinniest bit.

* * *

**Chapter 3! So Happy! ****Looking forward to Season 4 of The Walking Dead. Also, Kick-Ass 2! SO EXCITED. ****Again, I will try to update as soon as I can.**

**Keep on reading,**

**Daniel Nilrem**


	4. Chapter 4: My Day Off

**Chapter 4: My Day Off from the Walking Dead**

"Don't feel bad about Merle, Rick. I bet you nobody is going to miss that ass-hole." I tried to comfort Rick, who hadn't spoken a word since we drove away from Atlanta, abandoning Merle on the department store rooftop.

"He has a brother, Daryl." Morales commented, not helping me comfort Rick.

I was about to continue my rant on how Merle wouldn't be missed, when the sound of a car alarm and a happy Glenn howling with glee because he was driving a blood-red sports car. Glenn drove past us, taking the lead with his arm waving in the air. "At least one person is having a good time." I muttered, jealous that Glenn got to drive the car and I didn't.

Rick grinned because the jealousy in my voice was so obvious, "Are you jealous about Glenn driving the sports car?"

"Well, would it kill him to let someone else drive it?" I faced away from Rick, who seemed amused by my jealousy.

"Do you know how to drive?" Rick asked.

"No, but I need to." Rick looked at me with a look asking for a reason why, "In case of an emergency."

"I doubt we would need you driving." Rick chuckled.

"You laugh now, but wait until you're in another coma and I have to look after your unconscious but for another whole month." I smiled, wagging my finger at Rick like a parent proving a point to their children.

I had successfully distracted Rick from Merle.

* * *

"There's the camp." Morales pointed at the wind-shield, a group of people could be seen from the distance. Rick stopped the truck by the rest of the other vehicles. "Come meet everybody." Morales patted mine and Rick's shoulders, before leaving through the back of the truck.

Rick squeezed the bridge of his nose, exhausted from an eventful day. I looked through the wind-shield to see Andrea hugging a young girl, most likely her sister. Morales hugged a woman and two children, his family.

I bet it must fill amazing to find out your loved ones are alive.

"Hey, you two, come on out." Morales called out to us, who were still sitting in the truck.

"Let's meet the locals." I said as I got out of the truck. Rick followed.

I walked beside Rick and looked at the group. The first person who I didn't know to catch my eye was a broad, tanned man with black curly hair. The reason why he stood out because he was staring at Rick like a ghost.

"You know him, Rick?" I didn't get an answer, so I faced Rick, who was staring ahead of us, not at the man. I followed his gaze to see the one thing that is without a doubt a miracle.

Rick's wife and son; Lori and Carl.

Rick took small steps forward, before falling to his knees to embrace his son, who was running towards his father like his life depended on it. Rick picked up Carl and walked towards Lori, who was stunned from seeing her husband, alive and well.

I smiled, even though I was wrong about Rick's family, but I couldn't care. I was happy someone had a family to go back to.

* * *

"I felt disoriented. Fear, confused of course. But disoriented best describes it." Rick said to the others. We were gathered round a camp-fire, the flame and the stars the only source of light to be found.

"Words can fall short to how we feel." Dale said. Dale was the oldest of the group and the owner of the caravan.

"It felt like I had been ripped out of my life and put into something else. I thought I was in a coma-dream that I would never wake up from." Lori rested her head on Rick's shoulder.

Carl was laying his head on Rick's lap, "Mum said you died."

Rick looked at his wife, before facing down at his son, "She had every reason to believe so."

I noticed Lori quickly glancing at Shane, the man who was also shocked to see Rick. It turned out he is Rick's best friend and was his partner in the force. "The hospital said they were going to evacuate the patients to Atlanta. But they never did." Lori explained.

I clenched my fist instinctively, my body furious at that lie the government told. "They executed them, not evacuated them." I thought to myself.

"But everywhere got overrunned by those things." Shane added, the first-time he said anything since Rick and me came to the camp.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane." Rick nodded to his best friend, who kept breaking the eye contact. Ever since we got here, Lori and Shane have had the same look on their face, anger and shame.

"Words falling short again." Dale repeated, trying to lighten the slightly depressing tone.

"Thank you, Daniel." Carl thanked me, this being the first-time he had talked to me.

"What for?" I asked.

"Dad told me and mum how you were the one who protected him whilst he was in the coma." Carl replied.

I smiled, "No need to thank me. All I did was change you're Dad's bandage every now and then."

"But even so, we are thankful Rick wasn't alone during these horrible times." Lori smiled finally, breaking her guilty look she had.

I just nodded, "You're welcome."

We heard the sound of footsteps behind us, so we turned around to see a man throwing more wood on his own personal camp fire for him and his wife and daughter, who looked like she was around Carl's age. "Ed, did you just add another log?" Shane asked.

"It's cold man." Ed replied, not even slightly bothered by Shane.

"Cold don't change the rules now, does it?" Shane asked rhetorically, "We keep our fires low so it's not seen from a distance.

"I said it's cold. Mind your own business for once." Ed wisecracked. I could tell what kind of man he was. A real-stereotypical red-neck, maybe worst than Merle because I could tell he was abusive to his family by the way they look scared every time he was near them.

Shane walked over to Ed and began talking to him, his voice was lower so only Ed could hear him. Ed said something to Carol, his wife, causing her to jump up like she was flinching away out of reflex. Carol returned to her seat after she dulled their camp-fire. Shane started to talk to Carol and Sophia, the daughter, but only Carol gave Shane a short response. Shane returned, sitting back down where he was originally.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy that you left his brother behind." Dale commented.

"I dropped the key, I should tell him." T-dog muttered.

"I cuffed him, it's on me." Rick countered.

"Okay, first, not a competition. Secondly, not to bring race into this, but T-dog, I think a white guy should tell Merle's brother, if you get what I mean." I added.

"I dropped the key, I got nothing to hide from." T-dog tried to argue.

"We could lie." Amy proposed.

"Why lie? Merle was endangering everyone's lives. What Rick had done was better than what I would have done." Only Andrea, Jacqui, T-dog, Morales, Glenn and Rick knew what I meant.

"So we tell Daryl the truth?" Dale asked.

"It's not going to be easy, I can tell. But it can be avoided anyway." I responded.

"I was scared. I just ran." T-dog said, trying to convince himself more than the others.

"We were all scared and we all ran. What's your point" Andrea questioned T-dog.

"I stayed long enough to chain the door. Staircase is narrow, maybe a dozen geeks can squeeze against it. They can't break that chain, not that padlock. My point is that Dixon's alive, chained to the rooftop." T-dog looked at Rick, "That's on us."

* * *

Everyone started to retreat to their tent, but I had no idea where I was supposed to sleep. "Daniel, you can sleep in our tent." Rick patted my shoulder.

"After you've been reunited with your family? No, you guys need to spend this night together. I will ask T-dog if I can bunk with him." I replied.

"Are you sure?" Rick asked.

"Go celebrate with your wife, Rick." I winked, Rick turning red slightly.

I walked over to the caravan and knocked on the door. Dale came out, still in his clothes. "Hey, sorry to bother you, but I left Rick alone to 'reunite' with his wife. So I was wondering if I could sleep here tonight." I asked.

"Of course, don't you worry. There's a bed next to T-dog's, take that one." Dale seemed like a nice guy.

"Thanks." I thanked. I walked down to see T-dog facing away from me, probably sleeping. I took everything but my underwear off, separated my lance and place the katanas underneath my pillow; a habitat I had developed. I got in the bed and closed my eyes, which left me to think about my day. I wondered what it would be like to not have to worry as much about walkers. I thought about Merle, even though he was an ass-hole, a racist ass-hole, he didn't deserve that fate, especially not with a fighting chance.

But nothing could help him now. He was on his own.

* * *

I woke up, peacefully. Not like the past month where I would wake up every hour just to check on Rick. I looked outside to see it daylight, realising I slept in. I noticed at the end of my bed that there were fresh clothes for me to try on. I looked at the clothes to see it was a black shirt with blue, denim jeans. Trying it on, everything seemed to fit, the shirt being slightly big, so I tucked it in.

Exiting from the caravan with my lance on my back, I saw Rick just finish a conversation with Carol who was ironing his clothes. "How did you sleep?" Rick asked me.

"Like a baby. Much better than sleeping on a hospital bed." I stretched my arms behind my back. I looked at the sports car, first thing I wanted was to try it out, but it was being stripped apart by the men of the group. "Wait, why are they dismantling the car?" I asked, walking over towards the guys.

"Vultures." Glenn hissed, who looked more upset than me. "Go on, strip it clean."

"We need the parts and the gas." Dale said, amused by are misery.

"This is so not fair." I huffed.

"Don't worry, next time we steal a car, I will let you drive it." Rick patted my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

Rick walked over to his wife, leaving me and Glenn to mourn for the loss of an amazing car. But that was cut short when a scream erupted out of nowhere. I took my lance off my shoulder and sprinted towards the direction of the screaming. I saw Sophia and Carl running towards me, Carl pointed at the direction they came from which I followed.

I ran ahead to see a walker, eating a deer that had two arrows through its lower body. I separated my lance into two and whilst the walker was distracted with the deer, I guillotined its head off, causing it to roll on the ground.

"Daniel?" Rick called out, him; Shane, Glenn, Dale and another guy called Jim showed up, armed with anything that they grabbed along the way.

"It's taken care of." I attached my katanas together, reforming the double-edged lance. "Does this sort of thing happen a lot?" I asked the others.

"It's the first one we've seen, they never come up here." Dale answered.

"Well, seeing Atlanta yesterday showed that there isn't much food out there." I commented. Twigs snapping caught my attention, so I held my lance in both hands and was ready for another walker. Shane was behind me with a raised shotgun aiming at the source of the noise. The rest held their weapon high by their heads.

I was surprised, however, when it turned out to be a regular guy. He was wearing a sleeveless, jade-green shirt and jeans. He was carrying a crossbow as well, which explained the arrows in the deer. I looked behind me to see Shane lowering his shotgun, so I assumed he was with them.

"Son of a bitch. That's my deer." By his accent, I could tell he was a red-neck and if he was a red-neck, he was Daryl, Merle's brother, "Look at it, all gnarled by this," Daryl kicked the headless walker, "Filthy, diseased, motherless, poxy bastard." Daryl growled, delivering a kick with each adjective he used.

"Calm down, kicking it ain't gonna help anybody." I said, Daryl's bitching giving me a headache.

Daryl walked up to me, "What do you know, you little punk? Run off to your mother."

He crossed the line by calling me a little punk. The mother thing never got to me because I never knew her. It effected Lee more than it did me. I smirked, "You must be Merle's brother, Daryl."

"How would you know?" Daryl asked, taking the arrows out of the deer.

"You're both ass-holes." I said, stabbing the walker's still-moving head, causing it to finally die, before walking back to camp. The rest of the group returned to the camp.

"Merle? Merle? Get your ass out here! Got us some squirrel!" Daryl called out, reminding me that he didn't know about Merle.

"Daryl, slow down, we need to talk." Shane said, putting his shotgun away.

"About what?" Daryl asked.

"There's a problem." Shane said, thinking about what to say Daryl that won't cause him to do anything violent.

Daryl looked at Shane, then he realised that everyone was looking at him. "Is he dead?" Daryl asked.

"Not sure." Shane replied.

"He is or he ain't." Daryl growled, like a dog would at a random cat.

I decided to just get it out there, "Look, Daryl, I'm just gonna tell you what happened,"

"Who are you, anyway?" Daryl asked.

"Daniel Moore." I answered.

"Daniel Moore? Something you want to tell me." I clenched my fist because Daryl's patronizing voice was pissing me off.

"Your ass-hole of a brother was threatening the lives of everyone that went out to Atlanta. So we handcuffed him to the rooftop of a building. He's still there." I won't lie, even though it sounds horrible, but I loved delivering the bad news to Daryl back then. He was just another white-trash ass-hole to me.

"So let me process this. You handcuffed my brother to a roof and left him there?" Daryl shouted.

I shrugged, like it was no big deal, "Pretty much."

Daryl lunged at me. I moved to my right, out the way and swiped at his right leg, causing him to fall the the floor. He recovered quickly though, taking his knife out. I detached my lance once more into two katanas. Daryl stood in a fighting stance, like me, both of us assessing the situation. Even with my katanas, I knew Daryl would easily hand my ass on a plate.

Shane, however, got Daryl into a choke-hold, forcing him to drop the knife. "Get off me! Choke-holding's illegal!" Daryl yelled.

"Tell it to your lawyer." Shane grunted, wrestling Daryl to the floor.

Rick got down on his knee, so he was eye-level with Daryl, "I would like a nice, calm discussion on this topic. You think you can handle that?" Daryl didn't answer Rick's question, "You think you can manage that?"

Daryl's face was turning red, so Rick nodded at Shane to let him go. "Listen, I handcuffed your brother. But he gave us no choice, he does not work well with others." Rick said.

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key, I dropped it." T-dog spoke up.

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked, his face regaining its normal colour.

"I dropped it down a drain." T-dog explained.

Daryl looked down at the ground, still huffing and puffing, then standing up, looking at T-dog, "If that's suppose to make me feel better it don't."

"This will. I chained and padlocked the door so no geek would get him." T-dog added.

"That's got to count for something." Rick stated.

Daryl rubbed his eyes, probably to wipe that one tear he didn't want anyone to see, "To hell with all of you. Just tell me where he is so I can go get him."

"He'll show you. Ain't that right?" Lori said, staring at Rick.

"What?" I asked, not meaning it to come out that loud.

I turned to Rick, who nodded, "I'm going back."

That man and his dumb-ass ideas.

* * *

I waited for Rick by his tent, letting him change. Rick stood out of his tent, first thing he saw was me, "You're not coming."

"For once, I'm not asking to go back to my favourite city in the world. But you're not going either." I poked Rick's chest.

"I agree with your friend. You can't help everybody." Shane backed me up.

"I'm the one who handcuffed him to that roof. It's my fault." Rick walked over to the truck.

"You don't need to risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon." Shane said.

"Hey, chose your words wisely." Daryl pointed his arrows at Shane.

"He's right Shane. What he meant to say, Rick, is that you don't have to sacrifice yourself for a dickhead like Merle Dixon." I said, making Daryl clench his arrows so hard I was sure that they should have snapped.

"I left him up there, trapped like caged animal. I'm not letting a human being die like that." Rick countered.

"So what exactly? You and Daryl gonna save Merle? Just the two of you?" I asked.

Rick turned around to face Glenn, who understood immediately what Rick was applying, "Come on, man."

"You know the way. In and out, like you said. I know it's a lot to ask but I would feel a lot better with you there." Glenn didn't say anything, just groaned, meaning he was tagging along.

"So now we're risking three men?" Shane asked, irritated.

"Four." T-dog volunteered.

Daryl shook his head in amusement, "Our day just gets better and better."

"Well, Daryl, you should be grateful that at least one person is risking themselves to save your brother. Especially since he's a racist prick." I hissed, not able to tolerate anymore hill-billy nonsense. Daryl just went back to sorting his arrows, like he didn't hear me, infuriating me further.

"That's four." Dale stated.

"It's not just that, Rick. You're risking everybodies' lives. You saw that walker, that means some are around the area. We need every able-bodied person to stay behind and protect the group." Shane pointed to the ground as he spoke.

"It sounds like what you really need, is more guns." Rick retorted.

My eyes widen in realisation. The bag full of guns. "Oh yeah. I completely forgot about the guns."

"What guns?" Shane asked.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleared out the station of what they had. I dropped it when me and Daniel got swarmed in Atlanta. It's just sitting there waiting to be picked up." Rick explained to Shane.

"Not to mention my bag full of medical equipment and supplies." I added. "Painkillers, antibiotics, insulin. Then there's bandages and stitches." I looked at Rick, "Plus I took two handguns and fifty rounds when you weren't looking."

Rick didn't look annoyed as much as I thought he would be, mainly because I remember telling him back in the tank. "And how many rounds in your bag?" Shane asked Rick.

"Over seven-hundred rounds." Rick replied.

"But you just got here," Lori said to Rick, "And now you're just going to leave?"

"I don't want you to go." Carl joined in.

"And for Merle Dixon, he ain't worth your life, even with guns included." Lori added.

"You don't understand. I owe a debt to a man who took me and Daniel in. He and his little boy are heading towards Atlanta and they gonna fall for the same trap we did, unless I warn them." Rick countered.

"What's stopping you?" Lori asked.

"There is a walkie-talkie in the bag full of guns. He has the other one. The plan was to communicate when he got close." Rick answered, Lori hoping she could find a way around that one.

"Our walkies?" Shane asked.

"Yeah." Rick replied.

"Why not use the CV?" Andrea asked.

"CV is fine, walkies have a band width that doesn't match any other radio." Shane explained.

Rick tried to build eye contact with his wife, but Lori kept looking at the ground, "I need that bag." Lori looked at Rick, not giving him an indication that she agreed with Rick, nor any that she would stop him. Rick walked over to his son and knelt down to get closer to Carl, "Okay?" Rick asked his son's permission.

Carl thought it over, before nodding his head. I knew Rick wouldn't want me to go with him, but I wanted to help him somehow. I remembered T-dog saying he locked the door with a chain and padlock.

They needed a bolt-cutter to get through that chain and handcuffs, luckily I overheard Glenn mentioning to T-dog that Dale has a bolt-cutter. I walked over to Dale and Jim, who were busy looking at the RV's engine "Dale, I need a favour."

"What is it?" Dale asked, wiping his grease-covered hands with a handkerchief.

"Rick's gonna need bolt-cutters to cut through that chain and handcuffs on Merle. Do you mind lending it to them?" I asked.

Dale frowned, "I don't like lending anything. T-dog left my bag of tools back in Atlanta."

"So let Rick get your tools by giving him the bolt-cutter." I countered.

Dale walked over to his tool-box and pulled out a bolt-cutter, "What do I get in return?"

"What do you want?" I asked.

"A gun of my choice from Rick's bag of guns." Rick would need to be talked over about that.

"Okay." I held my hand out for the bolt cutter, but Jim opened his bug mouth.

"The hose in the RV is damaged beyond repair. That van would have a similar sized-one." Jim added.

"You could rip that van apart when they get back." I left my hand out for the bolt cutter.

Dale handed me the bolt cutter, "Make sure Rick knows about this deal."

"I will. Thank you." I nodded before walking to Rick, who was collecting bullets for his Colt Python.

I placed the bolt cutter on the van, "You gonna need this to cut that chain."

Rick looked amazed, "How did you,"

"Dale gave them to me. But this in exchange for a gun of his choice and the van once you're done with it." I saw Shane shaking his head. "It's only one gun he gets. Also, you need to get his tool bag back as well."

"So that's Merle, the bag full of guns, the backpack full of medicine and the bag full of tools. Good luck with that." Shane walked off, leaving me with Rick.

"Come back with my backpack or I will make you walker bait." I smirked.

"Will do." Rick nodded, knowing I was joking.

I watched as Rick got in the van and drove off with Glenn, T-dog and Daryl. It felt weird because I had no idea what I was meant to do at the camp.

* * *

It had been a good hour since Rick went back to Atlanta and I was checking what medical supplies the group had on them. All they had was bandages, which would only benefit if the cut or wound wasn't infected first.

I heard heavy footsteps, which belonged to Shane, an extremely angry Shane, "What's made you so mad?" I asked.

"They're gonna need you." Shane pointed his thumb behind him.

I looked behind him to see Carol, Andrea, Jacqui and Amy were carrying an unconscious Ed, whose face was badly beaten. My doctor-instincts kicked in and I ran up to the group of women, "Get him to his tent." I ordered, opening the tent-flap for the women. They placed Ed on his bed and they all left, excluding a teary, trembling Carol, whose lip was swollen.

"What happened?" I asked softly, Carol looked so fragile.

"Sha- Shane kept hit- hitting Ed in the face." Carol let more tears out.

"Why did Shane punch Ed?" Carol didn't respond, nor did she look at me, "Carol, why did Shane punch Ed?"

Carol didn't look at me, but I already knew the answer before she whispered, "Be- cause Ed hit me."

I clenched me fists so hard that I could feel the skin of my palms breaking, "Let me see your lip." Carol looked up, showing her bruised lip, "Just apply something cold against your lip to reduce the swelling. As for your husband, you can patch him up. I'm not going to help him and neither should you." I got up and stepped out of the tent, "You need to start standing up for yourself because he isn't just a threat to you, but to your daughter as well."

I left Carol to her monster of her husband.

* * *

The next day, I walked out of the RV to see Dale, standing on top of the RV looking out into the distance hilltops with his binoculars, "What are you looking at, Dale?"

Dale removed the binoculars away from his eyes, but still stared out into the distance, "Jim's up there, but I have no idea what he is doing."

I looked at where Dale was looking, but all I could see were trees from where I was standing, "Why don't we check up on him?"

Dale nodded, "We should. Lad may be thirsty in this heat."

Confused was probably the right word for how I was feeling when me and Dale found Jim digging random holes in the ground. "Jim? Are you okay?" Dale asked.

Jim didn't respond, instead he just kept digging. "Jim, you're gonna past out if you keep digging in this heat." I said, but again he said nothing, but just kept digging, "Drink some water at least."

Jim looked up for second, as though to confirm with himself that we were there or something, before resuming digging. I pulled Dale away from Jim, whispering, "Get the others, I think they need to see this."

Dale looked back at Jim before nodding and heading back down to the camp. I stood closer to Jim, put not to close so I wasn't in his way. "Jim, what are you digging?" I asked.

But he just kept digging.

* * *

After probably an hour later, I saw Dale return with everyone from camp. Shane walked up to me, "What's happened so far?"

"Nothing. He won't answer me nor will he stop digging." I answered.

Shane looked at Jim, "Hey, Jim," Jim kept digging, "Why don't you hold up? Give us a second, please?"

Jim impaled his shovel into the ground before looking up at Shane, "What's up?"

"We are concerned about you." Shane said.

"You've been up here for hours." I added.

"So?" Jim asked.

"So why are you digging? You heading for China?" Shane joked.

Jim let out a single laugh, before heading back to his digging, "I'm not hurting anybody."

"But yourself. It's one-hundred degrees out here. You're gonna pass out or get heat stroke." I argued.

Lori stepped forward, "Jim, they not gonna say so I will. You're scaring people. You're scaring my son and Carol's daughter."

"They got nothing to be scared of. Why don't you people just go off and leave me the hell alone?" Jim's digging was getting more aggressive the more we kept talking to him.

"Why don't you take a break? Stay in the shade, have something to eat and drink. Then you can come back and I will help you too. Just tell me what this is about; give me the shovel." Shane got closer than Jim liked.

"Or what?" Jim asked.

"They is no 'or what'." Shane replied, "I'm asking you. I don't want to take that shovel away from you."

"And if I don't, you're gonna beat my face in like you did with Ed? You've seen his face, or what's left of it. That's what happens when people cross you." Jim rested his chin on the wooden handle of his shovel.

"That was different." Shane's face tensed.

"Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife." Amy back Shane up.

"That's their marriage, not his! Who made you the king of our group?" Jim shouted at Shane.

"Alright, that's enough, give me the shovel." Shane reached out to take the shovel off of Jim.

But Jim shoved Shane back and swung his shovel at him. But Shane was faster and dodged the swing, then he tackled Jim to the ground. "You got no right!"

"Jim, no one is going to hurt you!" Shane handcuffed Jim's hands behind his back.

"That's a lie. The biggest lie I ever told. It's what I told my wife and two sons. But dozens showed up," Jim looked at Lori, "The reason I got away because the dead were too busy eating my family."

Lori covered her mouth and I closed my eyes. I knew why Jim was digging those holes in the ground now.

They were graves.

* * *

Shane decided it was time to check on Jim, who we tied up to a tree. Shane knelt down next to Jim, "Would you like some water?" Shane asked politely.

"Sure." Jim nodded. Shane lifted a cup of water for Jim to drink. Without a doubt, Jim was thirsty because he was drinking that water like it was the last thing he would do. "Pour it on my head." Shane poured the water over his head, cooling down from the heat. When Shane was done, Jim looked over at Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia, "They think I'm dangerous don't they? That's why I'm tied up."

"You were suffering from stress and sun stroke, you were just dangerous to yourself rather than the others." I replied.

Jim looked at me, then back at Lori, "I'm sorry for scaring your son," Jim looked at Carol, "And your daughter."

"You had sun stroke. No one blames you." Lori replied simply, not sounding like she had fully forgiven him.

"Do you remember why you were digging, Jim?" I asked.

"No, all I remember was having a dream about my wife and sons. Everyone was in it, but I can't remember anything else." Jim frowned, trying hard to remember what the purpose was for digging those holes.

I didn't know whether I should tell Jim that he was digging graves. I decided not to in case it caused him to have some mental breakdown or something. I just didn't want anyone to fill those graves.

* * *

I was shocked when Lori told me about Andrea and Amy catching all those fish; it was amazing. The fish tasted great, even if I had to eat around the head and make sure they were no bones. I was more shocked when I saw Carol and Sophia coming out of their tent without Ed. I knew that it meant Carol had finally stood up against him, his current condition helping her out as well. I offered Carol a smile, which she returned.

"I got to ask you man, it's been driving me crazy." Morales grinned at Dale.

"What?" Dale asked.

"That watch," Morales pointed his fork at Dale's golden watch.

"What about my watch?" Dale asked.

"I see you with that watch, everyday, winding it up." Morales spun his fork in a circular motion. Andrea was nodding as well to this.

"I was wondering the same thing myself." Jacqui added.

"I'm missing the point," Dale smiled, amused at the fuss of his watch.

"Unless I'm misreading the signs, the world's gone to heck," Jacqui replied.

"But you're still winding that stupid watch." Morales finished.

"Time is important to keep a track of, the days at least." Dale looked at Andrea, "Right, Andrea? Back me up here." Andrea smiled innocently, as though she was hiding something. Dale looked up at the treetops as he was thinking his answer over, "I like what, father said to son when he gave him a watch, that it had been handed down from generations. He said 'I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me, I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it.'"

Silence followed Dale's explanation, everyone thinking it over in their heads, some getting it immediately and nodding at Dale "You are so weird." Amy joked, causing the group to laugh, including myself.

"It's not me, it's Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing." Dale excused, causing Andrea and Amy to roll their eyes.

Amy got up, "Where are you going?" Andrea asked.

"I need to pee. Jeez, you try to be discreet around here." Everyone laughed at Amy's remark.

It felt weird, being apart of something like this, a community. I always felt it was me, Lee and Joe against the world and all those apart of it. But right now, I felt like it was everyone against the world and the undead nightmare that came along with it.

"We're out of toilet paper." Amy called. I looked up.

To my horror.

A walker grabbed Amy's arm and bit her, her scream alarmed everyone. There were walkers everywhere. I grabbed my lance which was next to me and begun killing any walker that came close. "Mum!" I whipped my head around to see a walker cornering Carl and Lori.

I ran over and pierced my lance into the walker's head, "Run to Shane, now!" I pulled my lance out of the walker's head. Lori and Carl ran to Shane, whilst I was taking care of walker's near them.

There were everywhere, it felt like I was fighting against the Hydra. I killed one, two more showed up. I was hacking them down, but I tripped and landed on my back, "This is it." I thought, "My reunion with Lee is sooner than I thought."

But I didn't give up fighting. I stabbed the walker in front in the chest, but he let his body slide down my blade, slowly descending down to me with his arms out. I used my legs to keep his hands away, but I couldn't escape. I struggled and squirmed, but I was pinned down. I waited for the feeling of rotten teeth sicken in to my skin.

"Daniel!" BANG. Rick had saved my life.

The walker's head exploded, but for some weird reason I remained clean of any blood from it. I swung my lance to my left side, so the walker fell to my left. I pulled my lance out and got up, to see that Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-dog had returned; killing the rest of the walkers.

Carl ran to his father once it was over, Rick pulling him into a hug. Among the dead walkers, Amy was on the ground, dying in her sister's arms. It's almost as if the world wanted me to see someone else's sister die in front of their sibling, just to remind me of Lee. That night was the night I learned the first law that applied to this new world.

There is no such thing as a day off from the walking dead.

* * *

**September 1st, meaning tomorrow is my birthday! I'm so excited!**

**Ben Affleck is Batman?! Nah, I think he will be alright.**

**Review, favourite, follow, and tell me your view on Mr. Affleck being Batman.**

**Keep on reading,**

**Daniel Nilrem**


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